No questions asked.

People have been telling me that recently that I have really good friends. It's not that I disagree - I know it for a fact. Knowing it and feeling it can be different though. Sometimes, something really small can make me feel it...

There's an unlimited number of ways to show friendship and care; similarly, it can be received and interpereted in a multitude of ways. For me, someone making time for me is very important, as well as someone asking (actually asking, not just polite asking) how things are. My closest friends are generally those I have spent an excessive amount of time with (in a good way :) ) and those that I can actually talk slightly beyond how good or the bad the weather is.

As for "feeling" the friendship...

The other day, I needed to know something quite desperately. It was a bit of an emergency. I called up a friend and asked for something rather out of the blue and I'm sure, a bit curious. What really, really meant a lot to me was that this friend, despite not knowing the context and the situation, without anyone questions asked, helped me to find the answer straigth away. There was none of this wanting to knwo the story / finding out the gossip / ulterior secret motives junk. It was a, no questions asked, I believe this is important information you need right now, and did something that meant a lot to me.

Another example. A little while ago, a friend of mine had to make a decision on the spot. Again, out of the blue, I gave a 2 second opinion - there was, once again, no time to ask questions, but surprisingly, the friend decided to take the advice on board, no questions asked. Afterwards, I did go about justifying my opinion, and, fortunately, was an opinion that this person agreed with but was previously unaware of, and thus, it worked out in the end. While I'm glad it worked out, it was a time when I "felt" friendship - in this, "no questions asked" situation.

I am, by no means, saying that this is easy. In fact, for myself, it is very difficult for me not to ask questions. There's only a very select few people that, if they told me I should jump off the ship (say because a giant boulder was falling on top of the ship but i didnt realize), I would actually do it. I have been told I need to learn to trust easier by many people.

Not all friendships can be saved. Some friendships, even if saving is possible, really just aren't worth the effort. I am thankful for the friends I have out there that I can count on. Not count on in every way - that's too much to ask for a single mortal being, but even in the small ways, such as the "no questions asked" ways, - thanks.