Better Than A Date Better Than A Mate

I recently had someone ask me to be their best friend – not something that I have experienced in about 25 years (give or take). This lead me to the realization that after about age 10 you can no longer say “okay, you’re my best friend” and truly mean it.

In many ways, it’s much more difficult to find a best friend than a mate.

This started me down the path of what exactly makes one friend more valuable than another and the short list went something like this…

A genuine like and respect for who this person is regardless of their behavior
Not only overlooking each others faults but (at least to some extent) finding these faults endearing
Laughing together
Enjoying each others company and conversation
Having similar goals and interests
The ability to inspire one another
Knowing that they will still love you at your very worst
Being able to give and receive advice without the fear of manipulation
The ability to admit when you are wrong and forgive when you aren’t

If you are lucky enough to have this relationship with someone other than your dog – DO NOT let it go – it may never happen again.

I wonder what the statistical divorce rate for best friends is?