The Dependability Of A True Friend

Do you have any friend who has come a long way with you in life? Friends at whose wedding, you mustn't be handed the microphone because you simply won't know when to stop talking? Friends who you might not see for ages but when you eventually see, you get on like fire and gasoline and can stay up all night laughing and talking as though you were never apart? If you have friends like that, congratulations! You are one of the lucky ones. I am definitely lucky to have about 6 of such friends and the first of them all is my mother. I bet you just raised your eyebrows at that statement...lol. I bet you're thinking, "Duh! That's your Mum, not your friend!". If you did that or thought that, I beg to disabuse you. My Mum is my oldest and best friend, my staunchest supporter, my very own confidante. From as far back as I can remember, she treated me as a friend and not just a daughter. Even as she taught me the basics of life and chastised me, she ensured the friendship was sustained. I remember when I had my first crush way back then, there was no one I wanted to share it with more than Mum. I remember how she laughed gently at me, telling me it was okay to feel what I felt and educating me on ways to not make a fool of myself around him. She told me how crushes were normal but not real because the "crusher" would usually put the "crushee" on a very high and improbable pedestal. She told me that once the "crushee" becomes demystified to me, the crush would fade away naturally. Oh boy! How right she was! She also taught me how to be practical, decisive and selective about love as opposed to getting carried away by the transient & fickle "butterflies in the tummy" feelings. Thank God for Mum!

Mum, my best, most dependable, most consistent friend! She taught me how to laugh and be full of joy regardless of the situation around me. I was with a new friend quite recently and he asked, "How come you laugh so much? I'm not a funny person generally, so it's a bit of a wonder to me that you appear to be really enjoying my gist". I might not have said it exactly the way he did, but this was basically what he was trying to convey. His question and befuddlement made me laugh even harder...lol. Here was a perfectly interesting, humorous young man, doubting his ability to share his humor and inspire laughter. I asked him what kind of friends he had been hanging out with and of course that led to more in-depth gist that opened the "pandora's box" of issues he had! We ended the meeting on a very lighthearted and happy note. That ability to laugh and enjoy life was another major influence of my Mum. I grew up watching her relate with her friends. with her siblings and other people generally, and I learnt so much from her. She always found a reason to laugh. She believed that almost everyone had a good side, no matter how bad they appeared. She would always seek to put people at ease and to make them smile. She was a "hugger" per excellence and would hug even the dirtiest laborer if he'll let her. Eeewwww yeah? lol. I used to cringe a lot too, watching her hug weird people and some of their responses were epic! There was a young man who burst into tears and held on to her like he'll never let go. She wasn't fazed at all! She just held him until he spent his tears. We found out later that he was psychological traumatized because he had been neglected emotionally and had never been hugged by his very undemonstrative parents.

I could go on and on but I wouldn't risk boring you about what a paragon Mum is. I just wanted to share a tiny little bit of her with you and I hope I was able to do it right. She is my all time heroine and role model. I seek to be like her, influencing my world positively and bringing love and joy to many like she does. I will do my very best to instill all she has taught me in my children as well. Do you have a friend or Mum like mine? If you do, please share the love, there are so many people out there who need to know and feel what love really is. If you have none, don't be discouraged. There is hope as long as you have life. You can learn these things by deliberately choosing to associate only with the right people; such people are positive, comfortable in their own skin, joyful, dependable and supportive.

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Cheers and thanks for reading!!