People we can truly call our best friends are, for most of us, hard to come by in this world. Some of them we meet at a young age and grow up together with, while others we do not encounter until much later in life, but quickly feel as though we have known them forever.
No matter how many friends you have in this moment, I’m sure that at least one of them — if not several — stands out from the rest of the pack. It’s not that you do not appreciate and value the companionship of the others, but certain ones always manage to capture a bigger portion of our metaphorical friendship pie.
The wonderful people behind the website Bright Side have put together a series of 11 cartoons that perfectly capture the difference between friends and best friends. While I’m sure that you will not be able to relate to all 11 image sets, the message behind each is certainly worth going over and reflecting upon.
Source: Bright Side
A common positive side effect of graduating from friends to best friends is that you begin to see one another as a team rather two separate individuals. While you of course maintain your individuality, their success and well-being become near equally as important to you as your own, so you look to help in any ways possible.
Source: Bright Side
This could very easily be seen as a negative, but another great thing about best friends is that you develop an honesty and comfort with them that allows you to express your real desires. You can still remain considerate, but you also know the friendship will not be challenged by your every move.
Source: Bright Side
Along the same lines of the first image, best friends are often willing to go beyond the call of duty in helping one another out. It’s one thing to passively wish someone well in a time of need, but it is another thing entirely to actually do something about it.
Source: Bright Side
Another great part about long-lasting friendships is that you really get to know one another well. A byproduct of this is often more considerate gift-giving, and even, for the giver, a genuine excitement to provide them with something you know they will appreciate.
Source: Bright Side
As we move into the best friend zone, honesty tends to take on a whole new level. We no longer choose to sugarcoat or make our lives seem more glamorous than they actually are. The typical end result: greater connection and more good laughs.
Source: Bright Side
Common interests can also take friendships to the next level. They will help to bring you together in the first place, give you more to connect on, and also provide you with greater opportunities for fun that you will both genuinely enjoy.
Source: Bright Side
This illustration once again portrays the team mentality that tends to come with being best friends. You begin to find yourself naturally going beyond providing general comfort and instead co-existing with them through hardship lovingly.
Source: Bright Side
Rather than simply suggesting something helpful, best friends tend to go through it with them, giving the other full support.
Source: Bright Side
At the beginning of most relationships we often tend to make ourselves seem different than we actually are. It’s often as you become more comfortable with others that you remove the unnecessary concern with what they think of you, and instead embrace who you truly are around them.
Source: Bright Side
While it’s never a good idea to support unhealthy behaviours, it can be okay to indulge in them occasionally together. When I see this image set, I focus more on the idea of not judging the lifestyle choices of the other, rather than the dieting specifics.
Source: Bright Side
My personal favourite part of close friendship is the ability to take a joke from one another. Not only do you often develop similar comedic preferences, but you also learn how to tickle each other’s funny bone in just the right way.
These were my core takeaways from each of these 11 images. How accurately do they reflect the relationships that you have with your closer friends?
One final note: I believe it’s important to not let these images set an expectation for what your friendships are and aren’t. Choose to see them in a much more lighthearted sense and appreciate each of your friendships for exactly what they are.
Written by MARK DENICOLA. Mark has been writing for Collective Evolution and other online platforms for over 6 years. Much of his content centers around personal development, self-help, and conscious food for thought.
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