If you had thought of a friend as a person whom you laugh and cry with, then may I ask: Is that all a friend does? Doesn't a friend do more that?

I personally believe that the word "friend" is not what a few words can be used to explain fully. Friendship is a very common type of relationship between humans, it is a feeling inside yourself that says, "She seems to be it, I think we'll be able to make great friends." Look around you, and you'll find that there exists no standard checklist to decide whether or not someone is your friend. Therefore, you can say that friendship is a simple thing about feelings of your heart, or that it can be a complex thing as you can't be definitely sure how you can consider someone a friend.

Friendship is also one of the most essential relationships one needs in life. That is because one human alone isn't strong enough, both physically and mentally to deal with the many problems in life, it is only through many interdependent relationships that humans grow stronger. Through the challenges and trials in life, we have to find a pivot to be able to constantly balance our problems and ourselves and to eventually allow us to lift the load up with ease and be able to say, "I did it!" My circle of friends is my pivot in my life. Like the time I was tasked to plan a camp for my CCA, it was the people in my committee who stood by me and supported me all the way, and that made the planning very much smoother and easier. I must stress that it was the effort from everyone involved in the planning that made the camp an unforgettable one.

When it comes to the confidence and motivation during hard times, where can you get these but from friends, friends who will understand you. When one stumbles and falls, it will not be easy for one to stand right up and to continue with his or her journey there and then. This is natural as one will be afraid that one might fall again, or even fall with a greater impact. At such vulnerable moments, a friend could be a source of inspiration and encouragement to help one pick up oneself and find footing again. Another moment when friends are invaluable is when one has lost a dear one. A mere pat a couple of times on one's and companionable silence could just be the balm to make one feel that one is not alone facing the problem, and that one is not living in a cold, harsh and insensitive world that would continue revolving and not slow down for you. All of us do need a little branch to land upon and rest once in a while, but look down at that supporting branch; you'll not find it strange, if it is your friend you're relying on.

Another fact one can't deny is that sometimes, friends might understand the situation that you are in better than your family members and mentors. That is why our friends may be able to provide more assistance in some situations. Trust yourself into trusting them. And slowly they will be like back-up disks to our hearts, always reminding us of things that we shouldn't forget.

Each friend you make might not necessarily become a life-long friend, nothing is certain in this world. Different friends enter and leave your life at different times, but you must not sulk and be sad every time it happens. But you must know that there are reasons why this happens. A friend is like a petrol station to a car with an empty tank, refilling the tank with the important fuel, recharging the spirit of the weary driver who has had a long journey. The car is like our life, which we will gradually find meaningless if friends weren't present to fill it up with colours. They'll reconstruct and heal us, the drivers, making us ready to face the next challenge in life. But you'll have to leave that petrol station eventually, to continue with you journey, and the petrol station has to continue to operate for other friends. So, if they should leave, know that they have done their best for you and they have to continue with their life eventually, they have to venture too. It is hard to see someone leaving your life, but rest assured that a new friend is coming on his way, a new petrol station.

It is quite natural for friends to quarrel and have misunderstandings. However, if you were to be able to sit down and chat heart-to-heart with him or her, you will learn things you have never known about each other. You start to understand him or her more than before, and both of you will grow to become more sensitive to each other's feelings. And this will definitely strengthen the bonds between the two of you.

Of course, not every friend that you have acknowledged is going to be a true, good friend. Some might end up cheating on you and betraying your confidence. But, it is through this group of people that you'll learn who to trust and who not to. In many instances in your life, it is natural if you betray your dearest friend. It is not your fault that you are betrayed or that you have betrayed others; it's a weakness of man. We, in turn, should judge ourselves for whether or not to give this person one more chance to prove himself and your friends also has the right to decide whether you're worthy of another chance should you betray them.

Standing and growing up in this ever-changing world, we need friends to be by us. We need some one to trust, we need to be constantly affirm in life. We need understanding, we need comfort and we need all the help we could get. Where do we get them? You should know the answer by now: Our friends.

Allow your friends to be the rejuvenating petrol stations for you and be one for others have cross into your life. Leave footprints in others. Leave hope in others. Thank you.]]-