When we talk of love, we’re normally referring to family or romance. Friendship is often forgotten about, but when compared to romance, it might be the most important love we have. Think of the best friends in your life, how they’ve always been there for you, and how they always will be. Is this a bond you can honestly say you share with anyone else?
Friendship’s unconditional
That’s right, when you’ve become good friends with someone, nothing’s expected of you. You meet up because you want to, you tell jokes because you want to, you have a few too many glasses of wine because you want to. A romantic relationship, however, is very needy. It has to constantly evolve to the next stage to keep it interesting. If things aren’t progressing, you might feel you need to separate. It depends on excitement and passion in the form of spontaneity, flowers, trips away, fine dining, and chocolate (not necessarily in that order), otherwise the flame blows out as quickly as it was lit. And while chocolate is always welcome, regardless of what kind of relationship you have, with friendship it’s a delicious extra, rather than a survival tool.
Friendship’s more reliable
In fact, often it’s your friends who are there to help when romantic relationships hit a rocky path, making you stronger. When romance ends it can break your heart, and it’s common for this kind of love to finish after a short time. Friendship, however, is far more likely to last and last.
Romance requires total commitment
If one person adores the other and wants to spend every moment with them, it’s expected that the other person wants the same too. If not, then something is wrong – the 24/7 commitment that’s required isn’t being met. With friendship, you never need that level of commitment. And yes, it’s annoying when they pull out of a get together at the last minute, but you normally get over it and you rarely question their commitment to your friendship.
Physical appearances are not relevant in friendship
Your friends can see you at your worst – they might despise your new tattoo, think you look weird in that dress, or believe that the new fringe doesn’t suit you. But it matters not a jot to their opinion of you – they’ll love you anyway. Romantic relationships, on the other hand, are all about ideals. If your new hairstyle puts your partner off, it might be ‘au revoir’.
There’s no doubt that romantic relationships have the wow factor – that buzz of excitement in your stomach that surpasses all other feelings. But you should never underestimate the importance of your friends. If you treat them well, they’ll always be there for you, and you never know – they might even help guide you to a romantic relationship that’s actually for the long haul.
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