Relationships 101 :
Love Your Friends Hard by Katie Evans
Disclaimer : I ’ m not a real winner at relationships . Why ? People are annoying . This is an undeniable fact . Fun fact : you are a people so that makes you annoying too , BUT there are still others that call you a friend and put up with your annoyingness and vice versa . We actually have a chemical makeup that creates our desire to be w / others . That ’ s one reason why the hookup culture is popular , we crave anything that entails us to not be alone , like women crave chocolate . Those quick , snippet “ relationship ” moments are worthless and you might have as well been just alone . The hookups can negatively alter how we see relationships in general and damage the ones we already have . Trust me …
We have friends and do coffee dates ( or wine dates ) for a reason . Both parties give and take from each experience and exchange . People get married and build their lives together as 1 couple . Although some thrive off of alone time , most of us go crazy if we get too much of it . The second we can , we are off to the next socialfest . Ultimately we end up running ourselves into the ground for the sake of being with friends . Or is it just me ?
As stated above , we get something in return for our relationship with others . Beyond each other ’ s
45 company , we get advice , joy , laughter , a confidant , a shoulder to cry on , and someone who does not mind our craziness . Not every relationship gives us those things . Some give us nothing in return , which is ultimately a pointless and draining relationship . There are relationships that are all about the feel good . There is a group of people that are essentially made to lift each other up and then grab wine . Then there are those people that believe in giving hard core life advice and , dare I say it , tough love . These are the people we wish would shut up and be like those other friends who are all about the laugh life .
There is a lot of take-take in relationships but to make them actually work we have to reciprocate . You might be having a terribly hormonal day but those cheery friends you have , kind of expect to be cheery back to them . If friends buy you a drink , buy them a drink sometime . You have to be able to give advice back , practice tough love when needed , and always be prepared with ice cream for others . Go above and beyond every once in a while . Know when to give space and when to never leave . These are the relationships that stick and the ones that matter . The ones that not only make us better friends but better beings overall . These are very rewarding relationships , and who