Undeniably, friendship has an exceptional value in our lives, especially in building meaningful relationships. A meaningful friendship can be characterized as one that is long-lasting, encouraging, frequently described in terms of family, and spans a variety of circumstances (Winkle-Wagner et al., 2019). Therefore, I believe that my friendship has evolved because we both put effort into finding common interests and being a source of support.
I want to examine this topic in greater depth by exemplifying my personal experience. Recently, I discussed with my best friend, reminiscing about how we met and evolved our friendship. It was a regular school day; people were coming in and out of the classroom, discussing assignments, etc. I was entering my junior year at the time, and I was eager to learn new things and meet new people. That is when I met one of my best friends, with whom I believe I have a genuine bond. My friend claimed that our first encounter was after we established eye contact and proceeded with small talk, but we seemed to have a connection even then. However, I think that when we began participating in things that we both enjoyed, like going to the movies and playing tennis, our relationship began to blossom. We were able to get to know each other better and establish a sense of commitment because of our similar interests and hobbies. But the most crucial episode in establishing our meaningful friendship was getting help from her when I was in trouble. I told her that it was the moment I realized how close we were and that she cared about my well-being as much as I did about hers. Since then, we have always been there for each other, and I thanked her for showing me what a true friendship is like.
To conclude, building a meaningful friendship is not an easy process, as it takes time and effort from both parties. It is about sharing moments, bonding over hobbies, and helping each other in times of crisis. However, once you have that kind of friend, it will bring joy and prosperity into your life.
Reference
Winkle-Wagner, R., McCallum, C. M., Luedke, C., & Ota-Malloy, B. (2019). Instrumental or meaningful friendships: Black alumnae perspectives on peer relationships during college. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 12(3), 283–298.