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51.8%ANMag Issue 22 Personal Maintenance
Friendship: A Precious Asset
By Lina Alotri, Staff Writer
California, U.S.A - "What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle
There are many things that we take for granted in our lives, one of which is friendship. You never know how precious something is until you actually lose it. The definition of a friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
Friendship is a significant part of a person’s life. Our friends and companions reflect who we are. It is one of the most widespread and common nurturing relationships found all over the world. Medical researchers have found that those who have friends tend to be happier, healthier, and have a longer life-span than those who do not. According to research, friendship lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity and promotes healing. Friendship also has many physical and spiritual benefits.
True friendship consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and value. People boast about how many friends they have, but when asked how many of them would be there in the time of need, the answer is very few. Having one true friend in my opinion is better than having a hundred faulty friends.
Most of the time, our first encounters of actual friendship is at the beginning of our school years. Sixth grade was one of the most difficult and fortunate years in my life. It was my first year ever being in a private school. I had attended public school for the majority of my academic years and was used to a certain freedom. Not only was I trying to adjust to new rules and strict regulations, but I was not getting along very well with one of my peers.
We were glaring and snickering at each other the first day we were assigned seats, making a big scene during science class because we did not want to be partners, and we were plotting schemes to get each other in trouble. The first year was not one of the rosiest years, but after the summer vacation, I think we both did a little maturing.
Thirteen years old and finally teenagers, we decided to shake hands and end our rivalry. Little did we know that we had so much in common. We came back from our summer vacation with stories and anecdotes about our trips back home. After that everything started to fall into place, and we became the best of friends. I guess it is true when they say in Arabic “Ma mahabbe ela ba’ed al addawe” (enmity generates amity).
Going through adolescence is not easy. And without someone to guide you or help you along the way, things can become quite difficult. Without her I do not know what I would have done. She showed me the truth about myself despite how painful or difficult it was. One thing that she would always tell me is to have confidence in myself. She was right because that was one of the very important qualities that I used to lack. Not only has she helped me through my troubled years, but she showed me that there is an answer and solution to everything and that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.
A friend is someone who holds your hand when you are scared, listens to you when you have a problem, shares their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the kitchen table, lends you a pencil when you do not have one in class, goes with you to the principal’s office when you were too shy to go by yourself, calls you in the middle of the night just to talk, reminds you of your responsibilities, cheers you up when you are sad, makes you feel that you have someone to lean on when nobody else is there, worries if you start coming down with a cold, sticks up for you when the class bully is making fun of you, shares their clothes with you, invites you over for dinner, laughs and cries with you, and gives you honest advice. I was so fortunate to have a great friend who did all of those things and more. Without friends to share good times with and learn from, life can seem rather tasteless.
We always tend to plan ahead and look to the future, but not everything plans out how we want it to be. You never know when you might lose a friend, so appreciate every moment spent together. A true friend will always be genuine no matter what is happening in their lives, where they are, or what they are doing. Even the best of friends must part, but unforgettable memories stay with us forever.