It’s so easy to go through life as a troglodyte; having no regard for anyone around you and not valuing any type of outer-familiar human relationship. However, having friends adds a little bit of spice to your life and it will cause you to grow in many ways you can’t even imagine.
Bill Withers said it best, “We all need somebody to lean on.” Friends are the people you surround yourself with that contribute to your life.
The family that you choose. There are bad friends that shouldn’t even be considered friends in the first place, but there are also good friends that stick around for life. So what are the different types of friends in a really good friend group?
Every good friend group has the outgoing friend. This friend is the adventurous spirit who does everything that everyone is scared to do, and does not give a single damn about who’s watching. The good thing about having a friend like this is that he/she will push you out of your comfort zone to do things you’d never thought you’d do before.
Next is the friend who every other friend aspires to be. Whether it be beauty, brains, or attitude, this friend has a quality that another friend would die for. This friend is important to have because it’s like surrounding oneself with someone who is better on one aspect to raise their own level of that same aspect. In order to get better, you must surround yourself with people who are better that will push you to get where you want to be.
Everyone needs an “Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway” friend. This is the friend who will always be there for you no matter what you’re going through, where you’re going through it, or when you’re going through it. Some may think that this is the definition of a best friend, but nowadays people use that title so loosely with so many people that it loses its value. The “Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway” friend supersedes the best friend. It’s like comparing the power of a God to a demi-god.
Lastly, we all know how important it is to feel needed no matter how much we deny it. That is why it is so crucial to have friends that need you. Whether you’re helping them pick out an outfit, giving them advice, or just being a shoulder that they can lean on, having friends should be like being in symbiotic relationships: they need you just as much as you need them.
There are an infinite amount of the types of friends that one person could have, but these are some key friends to have that will guarantee one’s growth as a human being. A stressor should also be put on having friends from different cultures. How do you expect to grow if all of your friends look, talk, and act like you? Self-growth is important, but by making friends you can also help someone else grow. So when you see that free spirit dancing by themselves on the dance floor, go and dance with them. When you see that person that always looks dressed to the nine at work, compliment them. When you see that person sitting at lunch by themselves, sit and talk with them. Who knows? They may just be your best man or maid of honor on your wedding day, but your friend for life.
Bio
Khara Vassell graduated from Gulliver Preparatory High School. At Gulliver she received All-State Honors three out of four years on the Varsity Soccer team. She was also an active member in the G.O.A.L.S. club where she coached kids with autism and taught them how to play soccer. Vassell is the founder of her own non-profit organization called “Island Kids Soccer Charity” where she collects soccer gear for orphans in the Caribbean, ships the gear off to the orphanages and later heads to the orphanages to host soccer clinics to teach these orphans how to play and to give the gear out. She is now a sophomore at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is a member of the varsity soccer team. She can be reached by email kagv08@gmail.com.
