Friendship is Love

There is so much that goes unsaid and I always thought it was because these were things everyone knew but as life got more complicated so did even the simpler things; thus my mom would say while hurling something at you, “common sense is really not common”. You discover this painfully for yourself as you age. But anyways, love ended up on that list of things that got overly complicated, the divisions of platonic and romantic as well as family love got more distant that I wonder if you told your friend you love them, would they feel something, anything?. Here's something about friendship I would love very much if everyone knew, acknowledged and understood, friendship is in every sense of the word, love. Not any lesser than romantic love or family love, it is love, that’s why friends turn into family and that’s why friends to lovers tropes exist. And if they haven’t said it in a while, let me say it for them. Your friends truly do love you. And here's the best way to reciprocate that love.

Like every other form of love, saviour complexes are glorified. One would say there's more love in helping than simply the expression of it. The worse the conditions in which love is expressed, the heavier- and I don’t entirely disagree. But let's run it back a bit. What does friendship mean to you? (answer in the comments sections) How frequently do you express friendship? Do you know how?

Fundamentally there are a few ways for love to be expressed in friendship and I like to believe everything else falls under the two. Presence, being there for your friend, and two; forgiving them when they go back to their ex. But we’ll only talk about number one today.

You will do anything for your friends, that I do not doubt. But what do you let them do for you? How much do they know about what you’re growing through? How much do they know about the pain? To express love specifically, there has to be intent and acceptance. Your friends want you to open up more, to seek their help more. You get to create the opportunities where they actively express their love for you. Because if I don’t know that you are stressed out I won't find the need to actively distract you, sending you a care package perhaps? And trust me, they want to express their love for you.

I get it, though. You might feel like you're burdening your friends with your troubles. But here's the thing—they want to be in your corner. Friendship is not denoted by what you do for them, it's also what they do for you, and how they feel about being there for you. So let them. Letting your friends support you opens a two-way street, making it easier for them to reach out when they're in a tough spot too. It's like a mutual comfort zone; knowing you've got each other's backs strengthens the bond and deepens the love from both sides. When you're open to receiving help, it reassures your friends that it's okay for them to lean on you when they need to. This shared vulnerability is where the magic happens, turning casual hangouts into lifelong connections. It's in these moments that friendship blooms into something beautiful, a testament to the love that grows when you're there for each other, in good times and bad. Or as I like to call it; Love.

To wrap it up, friendship is a beautiful, messy, and utterly human experience. It's about being there, really being there, in ways that count. It's about letting down your guard and allowing those who care about you to step in, not just when the sun's out, but especially when the storms hit. And remember, it's a two-way street. By opening up and allowing your friends to support you, you're also setting the stage for a deeper, more meaningful connection. So, go ahead, tell your friends you love them, let them help you, and watch as your bond grows stronger with every shared laugh, tear, and moment of silence. Friendship, in its essence, is love in action, and it's one of the greatest loves of all.