Rule 73. If You Are Going to Be a Friend, Be a Good Friend

Being a real friend is a tremendous responsibility. You have to be loyal, honest (but not too honest), sincere, reliable, dependable, friendly (stands to reason really), pleasant, open, sociable (not much point having friends if you’re not going to be sociable, is there?), responsive, welcoming, and gracious. You also have to be forgiving at times, be prepared to offer help, support, and sympathy. At the same time, you don’t want to be taken advantage of or have the wool pulled over your eyes. And you may have to be brutally candid at times and be prepared to risk the friendship by being so. Yet equally there are times you need to hold your tongue and keep your opinion to yourself. They are your friends, not clones of you—they do things differently. You have to be counselor, confessor, priest, helper, companion, friend, confidant(e), and comrade. You have to offer the friendship enthusiasm, dedication, determination, creativity, interest, passion, and drive.

And this is all what you have to do. What does your friend have to do? Well, in an ideal world the same. If your friend fails to do any of this, you will still carry on being her friend, being forgiving, being supportive, and being there.