I am half way through getting ready to leave at 8:30 am and this concept just won't leave my head. I was watching Private Practice last night (a spinoff from Grey's Anatomy) and I was enlightened to the concept of the 'anyway friend'. The 'anyway friend' as defined by the cast and crew of Private Practice is someone who will love you and cherish your friendship ...anyway - this encompasses all the moments you are a pain in the ass, boring, mismatched, angry, tired, frustrating, stupid.
I have to leave to drive across town for no apparent reason. I will finish this at my destination. It means I'll finally get to use the blogg app on my iPhone. I heart technology.
Ok so I'm back - I have a good 30 mins in this waiting room. Where were we?
Yes, the 'anyway friend'. I will be the first to admit that I am a person who depends on a lot of anyway friends. In fact, I don't ever really consider anyone my real friend until they hit the 'anyway' benchmark. I've always tried to explain it to people but under the umbrella of 'trust'. It always goes along the lines of 'I can't be your friend until I can trust that you'll be around' - by around I of course meant when I'm in a bad mood, when I'm tired, when I make a mistake etc.
Reflecting back on my friendships, my anyway friends know that when I'm seething with anger, I am best left alone. They don't care that I'm so tired my eyes are puffy on video skype. My anyway friends yell at me when I've wronged them and then tell me they love me before they sign off. They know I'm arrogant, sarcastic, immature and sometimes pretentious and they call me out on it every time. My anyway friends don't live on the same continent I do and see me very rarely, but when they do, they are still my friends anyway.
These are the people who'll see you in your pjs and compliment them. They are the people who'll laugh out loud when you spill water, eat funny, say something epically retarded or when you're plain being yourself.
Being in an anyway friendship is quite possibly the hardest type of friendship to identify and to maintain. It requires a level of trust that I find hard to master at times. Trust that when you are done being angry, the person you are angry at will still be around long enough to remember why you were friends in the first place.
If you are reading this blog, there is a 99% chance that I consider myself YOUR anyway friend too. When I think about it, I honestly think it's the greatest part of a friendship - to know that someone you care about is comfortable enough with your relationship to be able to hear that they are frustrating you, but still know you love them...anyway.
B
