Can the closeness shared between two friends be considered symbiosis?
Friends—real friends—are there for one another. Sure they live their own lives, but when they sense or are made aware that one of their friends is in need, it matters not what else is going on, or that they might be exhausted. Instead, they drop everything and help the one in need.
Departing an establishment late last night and alone, I asked a friend to walk me to my car. Without hesitation, he agreed. Standing alongside my vehicle, I took the time to let him vent over a difficult situation he’s in, one that’s been tearing him apart for the better part of a year and recently came to a head. What he needed was someone to listen—really listen to him—a friend—a true friend. And so I stood there, shivering in the cold night air, but warmed within, recognizing the great gift this friend had given me—that of his trust.
About twenty minutes into our discussion, my friend returned the favor when he spun around and protected me from a potential threat—an unknown male who had stealthily and with lightening speed snuck up on us. One second, my friend was spilling his heart out to me, the next, noticing the sudden look of concern on my face, he spun around, placing me behind his back and went all pit bull, protective big brother on the man. The stranger, surprised by the rapid change in my friend’s demeanor, scurried away as fast as he could, realizing this was not a battle he wanted a piece of.
Earlier in the evening, I’d given moral and emotional support to another friend, celebrating her birthday, who was distraught to the point of being fearful over an upcoming event. Noticing her body trembling with dread, I wrapped my arms around her, cocooning her in an embrace that she later shared had brought her the greatest peace and calm. As I held her, I felt her anxiety slip away replaced by an intestinal fortitude that couldn’t have made me more proud. Not long after, I stood in awe as my girlfriend faced her demon with poise and strength. Watching her, I was taught something new—how someone who believes they don’t have what it takes can and will triumph if shored up by loved ones. When my girlfriend had completed her ordeal, I told her with the utmost sincerity that she was my new hero. Hearing my words, her eyes welled with tears and she was rendered speechless.
And yet another friend, having been repeatedly dumped on and treated like another’s personal doormat, found the courage to turn the tables. They didn’t get hurt or resort to the same below-the-belt tactics that had been inflicted on them for over a year. No. Instead, they exacted inner strength they hadn’t known they possessed, which had been brought to the surface by the continued support of loving friends. With sheer delight and a pride bordering on parental, I witnessed that friend take control of the situation that had battered them for the past year by walking away, their pride and dignity intact.
The thread that weaves all these together is friendship. Without it each person might have succeeded, but the effort to do such could have proven overwhelming. Yet through the love and support of cherished and trusted friends, each person was made stronger, more capable and better able to prevail.
I know that for me, my friends are like family. There’s a core element that ties us together as surely as if we shared the same blood running through our veins. And that which binds us to one another provides us with strength we most likely wouldn’t have on our own. I long since lost track of the number of times friends have shored me up and know that without them, I wouldn’t be half the person I am.
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