Feelings of happiness are easy. Happiness is not. Flirting is easy. Love is not. Saying you’re friends is easy. Being friends is not. - David Levithan.

There are life lessons our parents teach us, life lessons we learn on our own and life lessons that only our friends can teach us. Friends are essential in our lives and while many friends have exparations dates,very few remain with us until the end of our days.

As children we don’t really choose friends. It's very quiet simple at the young age. Those who smile and play with us automatically built a friendship with us. The one that hangs around the most automatically becomes the best friend.

In adulthood the dynamic of friendship shifts because, as we mature we develop our own unique personality, needs, wants, and therefore just a smile is no longer enough.

The environment we are in, be it school or work, narrows down the list of friends you can choose from by default, just by virtue of the fact that you are in that environment.

Quality over Quantity

There are people who find value in having a lot of friends. The fact that they can confidently invite over twenty friends and post the gathering on social media allows them to fill their mind bubble with desired popularity. It allows them to feel heard, wanted and liked, factors that are most likely missing in reality. The truth is, not everyone can garner that many friends, unless you start giving out "ice-cream" in the forms of a job, free amenities, giveaways, etc.

And then there is another kind of people who find value in having as little friends as they possibly can. These folks guard their friendship circle so strongly because it is built on trust, love, respect and loyalty. Majority of the time, such friendships can even comprise of as little as two people. It is quite rare for this kind of friendship circle to get past five individuals. Having a whole bunch of fiends to hang out and party might look "great" from the outside, but having a few strong individuals in your inner circle who you can always count on is the real deal.