“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” ~ Muhammad Ali

 

July 30th is the day when the world celebrates friendship—when, in fact, every day around the world friendship is being celebrated one way or another.

Many people throughout history did not find a mate, but none of them lived without a friend.

I still remember the first friend I had at school. Her name was Maria, and just like me, she was a tomboy who loved football more than anything in the world.

Although I eventually lost contact with Maria, I realized at an early age that friends are the family we choose. Being an introvert, a highly sensitive person, and prone to depression, I wasn’t always the friend who knew how to stay in touch. I can even say at one point that I was a lousy friend, because once hurt, I would stay ages in my cocoon. However, I’ve always known that these people love me and have my back no matter what.

Here are 10 types of friends we all have at one point in life. We love them in different ways, and surely need them on our journey.

The Bestie

This is the friend who has literally seen you in all your glory—and by glory, I mean wasted, lying on a sidewalk, and crying your eyes out on your birthday. You’ve never laughed or cried with anyone the way you did with them. Their family adopted you and vice versa.

Nobody knows all your secrets like they do, which is another reason to keep them happy.

The Childhood Friend

We all have that one childhood friend with whom we stayed in touch, despite growing up and even growing apart. You might have become two completely different adults, but whenever you get together, you can somehow still smell the home-cooked meals after a long day at school.

They will love you no matter what, because they saw the real “you” way before the world had tainted you. Regardless whether they were your siblings, cousins, neighbors, or classmates, they are here to stay.

And they know you used to wet the bed when you were a child, so you better keep them close.

The Couple

Like Lily and Marshall in “How I Met Your Mother,” these two have always been part of your life, simply because you were friends with both of them. You might have even introduced them just to experience, on several occasions, what a third wheel feels like.

They’ve seen a string of boyfriends/girlfriends, as they were present on several failed double dates. They are certainly the ones you go to every time you meet a potential mate.

The Frenemy

The only friend that we all think we do not need when, in fact, we need them the most. You think you dislike them so much when, in reality, you love them. You know deep down they are pushing buttons and opening doors that you do not want to touch, leading you out of your comfort zone.

You always have rifts that you miraculously come back from. Like Emily is to Andrea in The Devil Wears Prada, the frenemy will have your back when you least expect it.

The Fun Buddy

Khalil Gibran once said, “In the sweetness of friendship, let there be laughter, for in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” We all need that person with whom we can sing and laugh together with no strings attached. You don’t need to go deep and discover each other’s souls, but you do feel refreshed after seeing them.

The Role Model

We admire them in a way that we aren’t sure whether we are friends or fans. They have everything  under control that they make you feel like a total mess when your biggest achievement is not crying for two days in a row. They represent wisdom, sensibility, and stability when your life looks like it’s been recently hit by a hurricane.

The Mother/Father Figure

This is the friend who is so protective that you feel you need to behave when they are around. They always check up on you, give you advice and support, tell you which groceries to buy, and help you grow in the most gentle, yet strict way ever. Just like a mommy, they will make sure you are catered for, loved, and well-behaved.

The Daughter/Son

This is when you become the mother/father figure to a friend of yours. They admire you, and you have no idea why. However, you feel you need to be wise and strong in their presence. You become the overprotective advisor, and just like a parent, you will look in control even in those moments when your entire being is shattered.

The Therapist

We all have that therapist who doesn’t have a license, but who listens to us for free. They might even pay for coffee sometimes. We usually pay it forward by giving “free therapy” to other people. Heck, they might even be real therapists if we are lucky enough to have a specialist in our circle. One thing is for sure, nobody envies them.

The Soulmate

Last but not least, the person who enters your life when you least expect it. At first, they freak you out because it will feel as if you’re looking at a mirror. You might even fall in love with them because you cannot understand what hit you. Soulmates are usually associated with romance when, in fact, soulmates are way more than that.

This is probably the only person who fits all the types above and more. The thing about this being in particular is that they will help you grow and get you to your purpose like no one and nothing else will. They will inspire you, break you, show you your worst qualities, and rebuild you without even realizing it at times.

It might end up in a relationship, a friendship for life, or you might simply become like total strangers when the purpose of the encounter is achieved. No matter what the outcome is, those are the friends who enter your life to connect you to your soul.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” ~ Anais Nin

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