Fabulous Friend Friday

I have had many friendships that haven't stood the test of time and/or distance.  This is the case for many reasons, but I will elaborate on one today.   This is the "who cares the most" problem.  The person who cares the least has the most power in a relationship.  Cynical?  Sure.  Accurate?  Definitely.  I have been on both sides of this equation, as I'm sure you have.  I got myself into several dating situations that were doomed from the start because of this little equation.  I was an eager little freshman/sophomore, looking for romance and marriage and babies.  All good things, and I'm sure glad I have them now, but I wasn't really ready for them at that point.

I had a firm motto during these times - that if you care for someone, then you can make anything work.  This was to my detriment in these relationships, mostly because those guys didn't really care about it.  They had no interest in making it work.  They weren't looking at the bigger picture.  It wasn't all their fault though - if I had been smarter I would have realized that these relationship weren't going anywhere.  That you shouldn't have to 'work so hard' to make it work.  Yeah, I was dumb.

There is a part of this attitude though, that I think is on the right track.  It's important to have a positive outlook.  It's important to work and serve in a relationship, friend or romantic.  It's important to put yourself out on the line - give of yourself totally - even if you might be hurt in the process.  Why?  Because you won't get the greatest joy unless you have the potential to be hurt.

SOOOO, after that long introduction, I want to start a new Friday thing.  Every week, I'm going to talk about a wonderful friend of mine, past or present.  I want to celebrate these people, and remind myself of the type of friend I want to be.

Nicki is one of the truest people you will ever meet.  Beautiful inside and out, she is a blond bombshell who stand about 6 feet tall and has the most awesome style ever.  Nicki is absolutely true to herself and what she believes.  She tells it to you straight.  She is unfailingly generous with her time and attention.  I practically lived at her apartment after I went through a terrible break-up.  This was during finals week, and yet I never heard a word of complaint from her as she took the time to mop me up off the floor and give me confidence in myself again.  She was involved in everything it seemed - I was always shocked at the number of people that she knew.  Yet she still found time for me.  Nicki is the epitome of what I said earlier - she was full of light and joy, and it was because she didn't hesitate to give of herself.  Her example still shines to me, and I hope I can be more like her in the future.  It's more my fault than hers that we haven't kept in very good touch.  I'm planning on changing that though.  Nicki, you rock.  Expect a call from me soon. :)