A Nice Friend

Recently, Freakin' Angel Kim G. was in need of assistance and I practically had to arm wrestle Freakin' Angel Karen for the opportunity to be the "nice friend" who provided the help. While offering assistance, I confessed to FA Kim that I was angling for Nice Friend status, and now, much to my delight, the Nice Friend label has stuck.

While savoring my new Nice Friend status, it occurred to me that calling someone a nice friend is probably a bit redundant. Like a drunk Irishman. One would assume a friend to be nice, just like one assumes an Irishman to be, well, you know. But then, the more I thought about it, I realized that a nice friend really isn't a given. They are actually rare enough to be considered a blessing.

When I was in my early 20s, I had a not-so-nice friend that I had to break up with. That was a first for me. Despite having not-so-nice friends when I was in my teens, I didn't have the nerve to actually tell them off or to give up on the relationships. When we're younger, we want all the friends we can possibly claim. We're willing to accept a lot more (or actually, a lot less) from our so-called friends in an effort to maintain some semblance of popularity.

One of the benefits of getting older is the confidence that comes with it. It's no longer a popularity contest (though Facebook would have you believe otherwise). She with the most friends does not win. She with the truest friends does. I'm no longer interested in pursuing friendships with those who concern themselves with the clothes I wear, the car I drive, or the neighborhood I live in. Simply put, I'm looking for long-term relationships. My days of casual dating are over! Once you experience a friendship that survives pregnancy, marital upheaval, late night meltdowns, cancer, diets, and jail time, there's no going back.

Though I'm more likely to be known as the smart-ass friend or the "go-have-a-drink-after-church-meetings" friend, I hope my friends would also say that I'm nice. Because I know how overwhelmingly blessed I am to have many very, very nice friends.

Your blog assignment for today: Tell us how you define a "nice friend."