Friendship

Let’s talk about friendship.

Friendship is a special relationship between people. People need this relationship because they expect help and comfort from each other. Those who have friends have less stress and live longer. Friendship is usually based on common interests and mutual understanding, true encouragement and sympathy.

They say “Friendship isn’t a big thing, it’s a million little things” and I agree. To me it means that friendship isn’t always about one big gesture of help. Instead, true friendship is about millions of ongoing little actions you do day in and day out, that show how much you care about and value your friend.

They say: “A person has just one true friend”. I think it’s possible to have more than one true friend. It’s hard to find a person who will share your whole life. People can change and their interests change, that’s why we can have more than one true friend during the life.

Muhammad Ali once said: “If you haven’t learnt the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learnt anything”. Не meant that friendship is in some aspects more important than anything that you learn at school. He meant that nothing that you know matters if you do not understand friendship.

What rolе do friends play in your life? You can have a lot of acquaintances, they come and go, but a true friend is always there when you need a shoulder to cry on. Having a good friend can usually brighten a bad day and make you smile because that is what friends are for. If you feel depressed your friend will hang out with you to amuse you, to cheer you up and have a laugh with you. A good friend will not take offence at you if you disagree with him.

I have no friends among adults apart from my parents. I think that it’s easier to make friends among your peers. My best friend is of the same age with me.

I have a wide circle of friends who are on the same wavelength. I get on well with them because I respect their differences. It is fun to be with them all, but my special friend is _________. I met him/her when I mixed with my friends once after school. We’ve become inseparable since our first meeting. I really like him/her and we get on well. He/she accepts me as I am and doesn’t try to change me.

_________ is tall (well-built, pretty, handsome, plump, good-looking, slim) in his/her teens. _____ has got an oval (round / square) face with shoulder-length (long / short) hair, greenish-blue (hazel / blue / grey / green) eyes and full lips.

_________ is very responsible and decisive. He/she is determined: once he/she decides to do something, nothing can stop him/her. On the other hand, ______ tends to be sometimes bossy and likes telling other people what to do.

________ is an active and energetic person who enjoys cycling and playing sports games. He/she has an outgoing personality and loves meeting new people. He/she is also ambitious and works very hard at school to be successful in future. He/ she is intelligent and understands difficult subjects quickly and easily. On the other hand, he/ she can be sensitive at times and gets upset when something goes wrong.

All in all, ______ is very special to me and I am always there when he / she needs me.

A real friend is always next tо you, you can always count on his support and attention. I can rely on my best friend in everything. _________ helps me to see the truth even if it hurts, he / she keeps my secrets and shares things with me. I know, I can turn to my friend in trouble and he / she will give me a hand when I can’t cope with a problem myself.

People usually become friends when they have much in common, when they have much to tell each other, when they trust each other and rely on each other. So, if you want to get acquainted with someone and understand if this person can become your friend, you may ask the following questions:

1. What music do you like? / What books do you read? / What TV programs do you prefer?
2. What’s your hobby?
3. What personal qualities do you appreciate in people?

If you want to understand if people are close friends, you can ask the same questions and compare the answers. Close friends will have similar answers.

I think it’s a bit easier to make friends when you 6-10 years, because children of this age are more outgoing and sociable. But I guess making friends doesn’t really depend on how old you are. If a person is friendly, it won’t be hard for him to get to know someone.

Making friends is not easy for some people and in some situations. These situations may be different – moving to a new school, moving to a new place, bullying at school, etc. Many teenagers are nervous about starting a conversation, because possible neglecting frightens them. To ease the tension, I’d advise not to be afraid of new people and not to think that all people around you must like you. If they don’t – it’s normal. You are simply different kinds of people. Try to find a group of your kind and make friends with them.

Nowadays teenagers have many virtual friends in contact or Facebook. I can’t name those friends real ones. Friends in social networks can have much in common, but virtual friendship can’t replace real communication when you spend time together.

Nowadays people prefer to have more money than many friends. They say that a person with money can afford everything and can solve any problem. I am sure that money can’t buy you real friends. And there are really such situations when you need friends and their emotional support more than money. That’s why I prefer to have both money and real friends.