I've always said it's important to make time for friends, to make time to travel and to make time to create memories. I've always been pretty sentimental when it comes to things like that. I never want to be "that friend" who lets people down. Over the years I've learnt a lot about myself and the company I keep around me. I can be the first to admit that years ago I wasn't the greatest friend - that's me just being honest. I was caught up in myself and my own insecurities that I missed out on a lot. However, instead of dwelling on the past, at 20 nearing 21, I can confidently say that I'm a good friend. I've finally found a good balance between having weekends to myself and making time for going out with my friends and drinking a little too much.
Balance is important. We try to balance a lot of things in our everyday life, from work to boyfriends to family, everything requires some form of balance. And yeah, we sometimes don't always get it right. We upset people, we get angry at them and I guess that a part of forming a friendship with someone. They don't always get it right and neither do you.
Friendship to me is a two-way street. Something I really hate is when you make so much effort with someone for it not to be reciprocated. It's a killer. In all honestly, I get frustrated at myself because I'm not that confrontational. I tend to let my feeling build up and not say how I feel, I'm working on expressing my feelings better so "watch this space".
I'm at a time in my life where I'm so happy with the company I keep. I have great friends, friends that I've known since I was 4, friends that I've known since Secondary School, friends that I've made from my first job. Each of them has known me at different stages in my life. I love spending time with them. From dinners to drinks to late night drives around the city, I value that time because I know it won't always be this way.
 |
| These Photos were taken outside "Hawker House" at Canada Water, South East London. A wicked place for Friday night drinks and classic street food! |
I know in time, we will have our own lives, families and our priorities will be different in 10 years. I would just hate to look back on my youth and say "I wished I did that", I want to look back and be like "I'm so happy we decided to do that!" My advice to you all reading this: Ditch shit friends, life is too short.
Make amazing memories, belly laugh until you cry and be a good friend to those around you. As cliche as it sounds, friends are the family you get to choose! Always make time for them, the occasional "Are you ok?" text goes a long way in my books, it just shows that you care and are interested in their life. The friends that are only around when it's convenient for them are not the friends to keep...
Love Elle
x
