How to Choose Friends

 (from Christmas 2009's Black Tie White Christmas)

 
A few things I've realized:

This world is chockfull of exceptional, loving, beautiful people. All of whom I want to be around 

all. 

the. 

time.

A few weeks ago, two friends from other lifetimes (it seems) called to congratulate me about going on a mission. These are friends that I only get to talk to every once in a great while, but people who are very important to me, people who shaped me, people who I very deeply care about, maybe because I sense they care deeply about me too.

So here’s what I’ve learned: life's kind of too short to be spending it with people who don't really care about you. So a few words about choosing friends. These are things I've learned from those who care about me the very most--lessons from some of the greatest people in the world (okay so maybe I'm a little biased). Anyways, these speak volumes about the kind of people they are, and teach me volumes about how to shape up and start being awesome like them.

How to Choose Friends:

• Choose the people who, even though miles and years have diluted the frequency of your friendship, write you letters sometimes and meet you for lunch when they come into town.
• Choose the people who make you feel good about who you are.
• Choose the people who are trying to become better people.
• Choose the people who consistently show they know what’s going on in your life.
• Choose the people that see you and smile at you and acknowledge you.
• Choose the people who laugh at your jokes.
• Choose the people who seem genuinely interested in your life.
• Choose the people who inspire you. 
• Choose the people who want your input on things.
• Choose the people whose lives don’t depend on yours.
• Choose the people who bring you Ben & Jerry’s ice cream when you have your wisdom teeth out.
• Choose the people that hug you.
• Choose the people who, when they know you’re going on a mission, tell you not to go because they’ll miss you too much.
• Choose the people who want to talk about you first, not themselves.
• Choose the people who don’t get offended when it takes you a few days to call them back.
• Choose the people who let you talk.
• Choose the people who believe in your dreams, sometimes even more than you do.
• Choose the people who see you better than you yet are.

Choose these kinds of friends and you'll have a very happy life.