Favorite Quotes, Personal & Nonsensical, Stuff I Like

the power of friends

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“Researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the base of a steep hill and fitting them with a weighted backpack. They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends during the exercise, while others were alone. The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared. Well – What Are Friends for? A Longer Life.”

NYTimes.com

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People seem to want to talk about the difference, and value comparison, between relationships and friendships. I would argue they are simply two sides of the same coin. Made of the same material, different symbols on each side with maybe on on one side “each remain as one, yet undivided” <romantic> and e pluribus unim <friendship> on the other side.

Both are complex <not complicated> yet simple in its connection.

That said. This is about friendship and, yes, friendship is a complex (not complicated) thing.

Have you ever noticed that the best pictures of friends they are always side by side? Equal. In balance. Supporting. Whatever words you want to put to it those pictures are just snapshots into the true power of friendships.

For the best friendships are like any great relationship. Sometimes one is leading. Sometimes one is following. Sometimes side by side. Friends can get ahead to show you the way. Or to maybe pull you through some moment. And sometimes they follow to see where you will take them.

It is a balance. And a powerful balance.

Even better? When they are at your side life’s hills just don’t seem as steep. Or as daunting. I often think if you truly have great friends you become more powerful in life. You take more chances. You do more things. Why? Because you feel safer in a way. You always have a kind of safety net. Friends can make us a little more fearless in life or maybe they allow us to face our fears a little better.

The best art? You can face your personal fears and never have to tell your friends your fears.

Do they care? Sure.

Do they care? Well, no, that too.

Because sometimes the power of friends is that they don’t need to know. They don’t need to know all your fears. They may not even need to know your desires or ambitions. All they need to know is where you are. And where you go. So at some point they can show up.

Just like in all those great pictures, great friends just seem to be there standing beside you at just the right moments. The moment when the camera takes the picture. The moments when life take your picture.

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“Without friends, you’re like a book that nobody bothers to pick up.”

psychology of women quarterly

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It is true. We are like a great book gathering dust if we don’t have these friends of ours. I have written before that everyone has a story to tell. Great friends don’t really want to hear the story. They want to be part of the story.

That is why part of your story is those snapshots with friends by your side.

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“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

Charlotte’s Web

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I guess in the end the power of friends is the honest partnership. The inevitable truth that comes with those who sometimes lead, sometimes follow, sometimes walk by your side and never questioning the balance. Just understanding the power. I use power because I wanted to say we are smaller people without friends, but we are not. We just have less power.

Power s important. It’s important because Life is messy. Friendships don’t make it any less messy they just seem to give you just a little more power to make it easier to put up with the mess.

It is maybe you cry I cry. You laugh I laugh. You fight I fight. You think I think. You worry I worry.

And maybe its even I jump off a bridge. And you get a boat and save my ass.

I don’t know what it is but its powerful. Like gravity powerful. That is the power of friends.

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July 16, 2010 by Bruce

Written by Bruce

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the power of friends

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