Real Friends

       My 15 month old has started carrying around a stuffed tiger. She takes him everywhere, hugs him, kisses him, tried to feed him, and sleeps with him. He's just a toy. BUT he is her friend. Some might argue that he is not a "real" friend. He's not alive. He's just a toy. 

I am left to ask, then what DOES constitute a "real" friend? In our technology fueled world we are often informed that friends made through the internet are not "real" friends. They are online friends. There is a distinction. Does that mean that a real friend must be alive and have been seen in person? 

I disagree with these stipulations. I don't think there are very many limits on what makes a friend real. 

Here is my list: 

1. A real friend provides emotional support when you need it. 

2. A real friend will stick by you regardless of your mistakes or flaws. 

3. A real friend will give you everything they possibly can. 

My daughter's tiger is there for her when she is sad, scared, happy, silly, or tired. He provides her with hugs when she needs them and let her hold him tight the last time she was at the doctor's office. He doesn't care if she throws her juice on the floor, if she spills her lunch on him or if her diaper is super smelly. He's still there for her and gives her exactly what she needs. He will give her everything he has, even if that may not seem like much. Her tiger is a wonderful and very real friend! 

Why am I telling you about her tiger? Well, today I was motivated to help a friend. I've met her in person, but I found her online. I was thinking about how much she means to me and that if I had bought into the idea that real friends must be found in person I would never have found this friend. We go months without talking at times, and yet I know she is always there if I need something and I will always be there if she needs me. That is real friendship to me. I have real friends that I met online, that I met at work, that I met in a coffee shop. I have real friends I talk to everyday and real friends I talk to once a year. No two friendships are the same. Each one has its own structure and rewards. 

So the next time you need a "real" friend, remember that you can find them everywhere. Even on the internet or in a zoo gift shop. Because all real friends have to do is make you smile and comfort you when you cry.