I love my friends. They are the only people I can stand for more than two hours.

Friendships are one of the purest forms of love, and I stand on that hill. I always viewed friendship as the love that someone has for you even though they don’t have to. Family is obliged to love you, and even then it’s not always possible to accomplish. But friends don’t. They don’t owe you anything; they choose to love you. And to me, that is the purest way of love. So don’t undermine your friends; they are people who choose to be by your side and want you to be the best person you can be. 

At weddings, it is common for people who are close to the couple to say some words about them. I always like it when they move the family to the side for a little bit and let the friends talk. It doesn’t matter if it’s a childhood friend, a work friend, or someone you met two years ago in an elevator and became inseparable. They always have the most beautiful view of their friends. It’s a vision that is untainted with expectations or family links. It’s the view that shows that no matter what, they are there for each other, not because they have to, but because they really want to. And to me, that seems to have come out of a fairy tale. Yes, the mother of the bride knows her like the palm of her hand because she raised her and lived with her for years. But the friends learned everything about them by spending time together, and now they have noticed the little things that make the bride the person that she is. 

Friendship is beautiful and pure, but it can also be toxic and tumultuous. But you know what? When your friendship is like that, it is because they aren’t really your friend. When we were children, nobody taught us how to spot the people who want to take advantage of you or use you for something. On the contrary, we learn to always expect the best in people. Well, that wasn’t really helpful. I’m not telling you that you need to be second-guessing everything and always assuming the worst, but you do need to trust your gut and be intelligent. If your «friend» is always trying to take you down or make you feel bad, then that isn’t a true friendship; that is a toxic relationship that will only work to make you feel bad about yourself. You need to realize that and leave. We all deserve a friend who is nice and wants us to be the best version of ourselves, not someone who is praying for our downfall. So think about who your real friends are and prioritize them over others. They choose to be your friends because they love you, not because they want something in return. So be mindful and smart, and don’t ever stay where you are not wanted for who you are.