Maybe it's best to Judge me by my enemies and not my friends

Friendship and Love two sides of a coin

Friends are not just people you have history with.

You share without expecting anything back and shared some serious time with, maybe even a lot of it in silence, the not needing to say - thats really important and sometimes been in really hairy situations with, there's a bond, a link.

They will know your joy, the tragedy and what your life has been, yet will not judge you for it. knows you the real you, they will see all of the scars and the baggage but still accept you. Your innermost thoughts, feelings, secrets, trust.
No, they support you and help you realise your not alone.

Maybe a Partner. I don't think it can last unless your are friends and maybe even your best friend. You can have love but, if you don't have friendship it will not work. I have heard say before that sometimes you may not be sure which side you enjoy most - Lover or Partner but, both sides are to be treasured equally.

Trusting someone with your friendship is no easy thing and with such great friendship come rules. Unwritten they maybe but rules there are all the same. Mostly about sharing, honesty and respect. "I got your back". You can rely on them. You may have your arguments but, no two people ever see eye to eye all the time. A friendship is a space where you can grow.

Friends sometimes make mistakes. Unfortunately, some mistakes cannot be forgiven or forgotten. And that's when it really hurts as your not always aware on how many levels you connect or how much they really mean.

But, as I get older I'm starting to realise without being cynical that everybody will hurt you, that's also in our nature. It just happens. When hurt I go hide in solace, in my own dark little cave. But, people have different ideas of what friendship means, that took me many years to realise.

I think the only answer is to work out which ones are worth the pain.