So due to a few things that have happened recently to a friend of mine, it's made me really stop and think how I can be a great friend when times are tough for them.
Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do or say to help your friends out when they're going through troubled times. Let's face it, 'cheer up, the sun will come out tomorrow' may work for Annie but when bad things happen, it's basically the equivalent of putting a bandaid on a broken leg.
I find that most friends just appreciate the simple and small things. Letting you know you're there, no matter what, letting them talk if they need to, letting them wallow when they need to, let them cry when they need to, and making them laugh when you feel they need to is more important than any words you can say.
I know I'm being deliberately vague here as the circumstances involved is not my story to tell, however someone close to me is experiencing one of the most devastating things that can ever happen at the moment.
I feel terrible that I'm now living 2 hours away from her as if I'd still been in Brisbane I would have dropped everything to be at her side, no matter what. I just really want to give her a huge hug.
However at a distance I hope I'm still being a supportive friend. I might be out of touching distance but I hope she knows I'm there in her heart and thinking about her and her family.
One day she might have the opportunity to tell her own story, and it's both sad, amazing and inspirational, all at the same time.
Having had a dark day or two myself, I know my best memories of my friends is not what they said, but just knowing they were THERE. Day. Night. No matter the time or the circumstance, I felt comfort just knowing they were just a phone call away if I needed them.
How do you help your friends during the dark days? What do you like people to do when you're going through your own troubles?
Deep stuff for a Tuesday, and quite introspective for me! I promise to stop contemplating my navel soon...I swear!
xx
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