Friends must be flexible. Conflict must be resolved for
friendships to continue. Friendships require maintenance. |
Best friends require one-on-one contact
to survive. Telephone calls and getting together are musts for best friends to continue. In
fact, probably the quickest way to end a friendship is to neglect it and sever contact.
Yet it is hard to make time in a busy day and busy life to maintain our
friends. But you don't have to have hours to spare to maintain a friendship. Instead try the following to keep
from neglecting your friends:
- Send frequent email. Email is a boon for a quick note.
- Call once a week. Telephone calls do not take long.
- Keep in touch through brief messages left on answering machines.
- Send an occasional card. Funny and/or appropriate cards take minutes to choose
and address.
- Exercise together. We all have to exercise. It is more fun with a friend, plus,
there is no better place for talking than a walk in the park.
- Clean house together. This is another must do and two makes cleaning fun instead
of boring.
- Send pictures. A picture is still worth a thousand words.
- Go to lunch at least once a month. More often would be better.
Follow the advice of Victoria Rayner, author of The Survival Guide for
Today's Career Woman:
- Be a good listener; refrain from offering advice or moralizing.
- Respect your friend's point of view. Different personalities can complement each
other; it isn't always necessary to see eye to eye.
- Never betray a trust. Trust, when violated, can ruin even the best friendship.
- Support and praise your friends; ignore their failures and imperfections.
- Never resent a friend's success. Instead, strive to admire her achievements.
Flexibility is always important for maintaining friendships. Be understanding
when your friend has a last minute change in plans. Learn to accept "I'm sorry to
cancel, but we will have another time together Sunday."
|
|
