Beech Tree News Network

Friends make life better. Friendship has been defined as a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/friend). I have a few close friends and many good friends. Friends are important.

A study (reported in 2010) linked the quality and quantity of individuals' social relationships to sickness and death. The data of 308,849 individuals followed for an average of 7.5 years indicated that individuals with adequate social relationships have a 50% greater likelihood of survival compared to those with poor or insufficient social relationships. Researchers (Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, J. Bradley Layton) determined that the magnitude of this effect is comparable to quitting smoking and exceeds many risk factors for death such as obesity and physical inactivity (http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.10...). I realized that friends are good for emotional and mental health; but, this study clearly shows that friends – having them or not having them – impact physical health as well.

Chiara Fucarino (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/8-types-friends-you-need-...) suggested that we develop the following types of friends: a best friend, an adventurous friend, an honest confidant, a mentor, a friend from a different culture, a polar opposite friend, a friendly neighbor, and a work pal. Shelly Emling explained that with age a person begins to realize “which friendships deserve tending -- and which are a drag, wearing you down” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/friendships-after-50_b_4733...). Emling also listed five types of friends worth keeping forever. Two of those were: “friends who are genuinely happy for me when something good happens” and “friends who are authentic.”

Many comments have been made about friendship, including the following:
•    The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you. --Elbert Hubbard, The Notebook, 1927
•    The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. --Elisabeth Foley
•    Friends are relatives you make for yourself. --Eustache Deschamps
•    It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. --William Blake

I’ve been blessed with good friends. Considering the eight types of friends that Fucarino recommended we have in our lives, I have found most of those qualities in my friends – just not in that many different people. My closest friends (who have become family) may be described in the following terms:
1.    A best friend: She is my rock, and she is trustworthy.
2.    A mentor and a work pal: Her judgement is impeccable, and I have come to rely on her.
3.    A polar opposite friend: She is entertaining and a great conversationalist.
4.    An honest confidant: She tells me the truth and is a dependable, caring person.
5.    An adventurous friend: She is good company, humorous and ready to go wherever, whenever.

Friends are important. As Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times….” Friends are definitely one of life’s great blessings. And, for mine, I am thankful.