The Value in Diverse Friendships

Today my crazy OCD traits were in full swing . I start my new job tomorrow and yes I could blame my almost fanatic organisation skills on being a full time working mum of three children , but lets be honest I’ve always been this way !
As I checked off lists , wrote notes , prepared for any scenario , and wrote more lists , my friend contacted me and asked what I was doing . Having been friends for many years and worked with her in the past , I felt very comfortable in admitting to her that even I was concerned about how fanatical and just plain out of control I had become . Needless to say her response was honest , to the point , but most of all it came from a place of knowledge , experience and friendship . My friend has none of my peculiar zealous traits , she is relaxed , confident and great at what she does . I wear my heart on my sleeve , I am an emotion based person , she is logical , able to see things for what they are . We are opposites in every way , we often wonder how we are friends , but at the end of the day , it just works , makes sense beyond explanation .
We are all the products of our own individual upbringing and experiences so it is completely natural that we will all have differences in opinions on a wide range of issues.The world would be a very dull place if we were all the same and it’s the incredible diversity amongst people throughout the world that makes it such a fascinating place.
When we get to learn about others and respect our similarities and our differences, we get to learn so much more about the world and about ourselves and this helps us to grow and contributes to our well being instead of stagnating. It also opens the doors to many other opportunities, be they friendships, work prospects, travel possibilities or a wider understanding of the world in which we live.
Getting to truly know a new person who we may feel is quite different to us can be a very rewarding experience. It’s true that when we’re looking to make friends or start relationships that we tend to gravitate towards people we believe are similar in outlook to ourselves but in restricting ourselves to that mindset, we can often miss out on many interesting experiences .
It takes time for people to get to know you and to understand where you’re coming from and vice versa. Proper friendship is about a mutual understanding of each other’s interests, personal qualities and how that might fit into each of your lives and, like any good relationship, this doesn’t happen overnight.
A true friend is important as they will always be there for you in times of trouble and in your hour of need just as equally as in the good times. We all need someone to turn to sometimes and good friends can often give us advice and a fresh perspective on life that we’re not able to get from a partner or from parents or our family. A meaningful friendship is something that can enhance our lives in such a rich way and it can become a friendship which lasts forever.
So I’ll smile when my friend calls me a ” loser ” or mocks me for obsessing over lists and cannot relate to my love of fashion , shoes and accessories , because friendship in all it’s forms has enhanced my life and I am richer for it .