Are you a real friend?

Wilson is drinking his milk and eating some cereal and I woke up feeling like I wanted to blog about this.

What is a real friend?

Why do we have people come and go in our lives?

I know that thanks to technology today (this blog included) that distance doesn't have to end friendships. You can still keep in touch as much as ever, minus the actual physical interaction.

But really what makes a real friend?

I thought I had some real friends, but it turns out to not be the case.

Am I the only one who feels like, when you invest in a friendship, you aren't just investing in a friendship, you are offering up a part of yourself.

You are exposing yourself, your quirks, your personality, and yes, your flaws and mistakes.

You are holding out this box of you and almost kind of asking "Here I am. I'm not perfect."

The best of friends, they take that box, they look past the mistakes and flaws. But the fake friends?

What do they do?

Is this why we as people normally have our "friendly face" on when we first meet people? We aren't quite ready to expose all of ourselves.

I'd blogged before about making new friends and how it's almost like trying on clothes. You try to find the friends who fit you. Who you can expose the "box" to. Not just "Oh my life is awesome, and I totally just want to have everyone think everything is awesome."

I mean don't get me wrong. We all do that. No one wants to just always be negative, but at the same time, the real friends. They know.

You cry on their shoulder, you vent, you curse, and they listen.

I'm all for having friends you hang out with and have a good time, but I want more than just that.

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. -- Fr. Jerome Cummings