How would you define quality friendship in midlife?

[Maricel Evasco]

How would you define quality friendship in midlife?
This question was inspired by a hardcopy of a fwd I saved in 1998 (a long time ago).
Would you change or add anything to #16?

Timeline of Friendship

1. In kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person who let you have
the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

2. In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the
bathroom with you and held your
hand as you walked through the scary halls.

3. In second grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you
stand up to the class bully.

4. In third grade your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their
lunch with you when you forgot yours in the car.

5. In fourth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who was willing to
sit and wait with you when you got punished for pushing Nasty Nick or
Smelly Susan.

6. In fifth grade your idea of a friend was the person who saved a seat in the
cafeteria for you.

7. In sixth grade your idea of a friend was the person who went up to Nick or
Susan, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you, so that if they
said no you wouldn’t have to be embarrassed.

8. In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the
social studies homework from the night before that you had.

9. In eighth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped deal
with puberty and graduating from not only your junior high but your
childhood.

10. In ninth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went with you
to that “cool” party thrown by a senior so you wouldn’t wind up being
the only freshman there.

11. In tenth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who fussed out that
other guy/girl who tried to get up with Nick/Susan over the summer!

12. In eleventh grade your idea of a good friend was the person who gave you
rides in their new car, convinced your parents that you shouldn’t be
grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick or Susan,

and found you a date to the prom.

13. In twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you
pick out a college, assured you that you would get into that college,
helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting

to the idea of letting you go…

14. At graduation your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on
the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they
congratulated you.

15. The summer after twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who helped you clean up the bottles from that party, helped you sneak
out of the house when you just couldn’t deal with your parents, assured you that
now that you and Nick or you and Susan were back together, you could make it
through anything, helped you pack up for college and just silently hugged you as
you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving
behind, and finally on those last days of childhood, went out of their way to
come over an send you off with a hug, a lot of memories, reassurance that you
would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most
importantly sent you off to college knowing you were loved.

16. Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who gives you the better
of the two choices, holds your hand when you’re scared, helps you fight
off those who try to take advantage of you thinks of you at times when you
are not there, reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past
behind you but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer,
stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way to make time for you,
helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal with pressure from others,
smiles foryou when they are sad, helps you become a better person, and most
importantly loves you!

http://chainletters.net/chainletters/timeline-of-friendship/