Friendship and Acquaintance

Friend: One who is always there for you, one who does not bother because you are not spending as much time with him/her as you used to do, one who braves to discuss a problem with you directly without any hesitation, one who understands that there is a problem between the two, and works to resolve it, one who yells at you when you may be treading the wrong path regardless of how you take it, one who does not keep personal grudges with you because you knowingly or unknowingly said or did something, one who is never insecure, one who knows that you will always be there for him/her, one who never hesitates to ask you a favor/help, one who truly appreciates and thanks you, one who never wonders what you may think if he/she opened up to you, one who knows that if there was a fight between the two, there is no second thoughts of making up, one who walks up to you and says he/she is there for you, one who asks you if you had a good day and general wellness

Acquaintance: One who “thinks” you are a close friend, one who worries that the you are not spending as much time with him/her as you used to, one who gets hurt at what you said and never dares to question why, one who is nervous to open up to you even if it were to be a very small incident, one who quiets down, when hurt, not letting you know what the problem is, one who is hesitant to ask you a favor/help and expects you to know that he/she needs help, one who expects that you to initiate something first, one who expects the you to apologize first, one who expects you to know that he/she is feeling low, one who hesitates to talk to you about his/her problems, one who needs your presence but does not ask for it, one who has “expectations” in his/her dictionary of friendship.

Quiz

1. How do you know if someone is a friend or an acquaintance?
A: Read the above paragraphs

2: How long does it take to transition an acquaintance to a friendship?
A: Years and years

3: What does it take to have a friend?
A: Everything, your life, your time, especially an effort from your part that lets your friend know he/she is important to you.

4: How do you know if someone can be your friend?
A: You don’t. Don’t even try.

5: Do you look out for friends?
A: No, every opportunity is a half-chance. Don’t talk to people with friendship or any other personal motive in mind. Meet and talk with all with an open mind. Age does not matter. It happens and you will know when it does. But do the ground work. It doesn’t happen out of the blue.

6: What do you do if your friend hurts you in any way, knowingly or unknowingly?
A: Call the person up the next day and tell him/her what an a** he/she has been, and that you are hurt. At that time you will know how wrong or right you are about the other person. Communication is the key.

7: What is importance in a Friendship?
A: Communication and no expectation. Tell your friend what’s on your mind, even if it is associated with your friend. Don’t expect your friend to ask you or know what is wrong for you to open up.

8: What if, your friend breaks your heart after years of friendship?
A: Life moves on, people come and go. Be thankful that you were friends with him/her for such a long time.

9: What happens when expectations come in between friendship?
A: It is your failure, it is your mistake, it IS because of you. Make amends.

10: Is it really worth making friends when you know that they will break your heart at some point?
A: Absolutely, everybody needs somebody. Never give up the effort to make friends. As you grow older, it becomes more and more hard to make friends.

11: Shouldn’t your friend know when you are feeling low, when you need him/her as a friend?
A: Absolutely ridiculous. Do not judge your friend based on that. You run into a chance of ruining the relationship. Always reach out to your friend. There are times when your friend has no clue, sometimes he/she may. Don’t take that risk. Talk about it. Most important DO NOT LIE.

12:What is a friend to me?
A: My life, trust, honesty, integrity, and loyalty.

Friendship doesn’t come easy; you have to give up a lot over a long period of time to gain a friend. Be fortunate if you walk away with one friend from a group of 5 acquaintances.
You want a friend, you work for it. He/she wants you as a friend; he/she will work for it too. By doing so, you will see how friendship blossoms.