friendship

i've been thinking about this for a while, now, and i'm not sure i've quite gathered all my thoughts. but i want to get some of them down anyway. specifically, i've been thinking about friendship in the media... books and tv, especially. admittedly, i'm not a very good person to be writing about this because i don't watch much tv and skip a lot of movies, too (except that i'm a total sucker for reality tv and superhero movies).

i caught a few episodes of high school musical: get in the picture. one gal had a very interesting (and, in my opinion, sad) comment. she talked about the fact that she didn't have very many friends. she thought that had helped her in life because she could be more selfish and didn't have anyone "holding her back". is that really how some see friendship? as something that can hold them back? friendship, true friendship, should help encourage you to be more than you could be alone. to grow and change and feel safe in taking risks because you know that there's someone who will always love you.

contrast that to the sisterhood of the traveling pants books that i've been reading lately (to get ready for the second movie, of course!). there was a wonderful line in the second book. carmen, after having been a brat, tells tibby about it. tibby encourages her to make it right. at the end of the conversation, tibby leaves and carmen reflects that, "a worse friend would have made her feel better." now that, is friendship. that's the kind of people i want in my life. people who love me too much to pad my pride and, instead, help me do things that are hard for me.

such a different perspective on friendship. so much more healthy. and difficult. i hope there are more models like that in the media than the former.