Aaron Presley

This week I spent an unordinary amount of time with almost all of my closest friends. It started off with being in a wedding where I saw two close friends tie the knot, and it ended with some beautiful ladies cooking us guys dinner. This extended time to be with my best friends gave me an opportunity to observe them in a way I had never thought to before.

One of my friends, for example, is always calm and collected. He is able to think through any situation and make a rational decision; and he never appears to be anxious (even on his wedding day). Another friend has a huge amount of compassion. He cares about everything from comforting a total stranger to stopping the car to remove an injured bird out of the middle of the road. I have a friend that is always smiling and can single-handedly make any situation fun just by showing up. Another friend I would trust with my own life, and I’m not the only person that feels that way. Why can’t I control my emotions like Burke can? Why don’t I care for people or have an infectious laugh like Andrew or Caitlin? What does it take to be as trustworthy as Jonas? Can these things be learned? What would it take to steal my favorite piece from all of my friends and add them to my own personality?

After spending some time perplexed and frustrated over these questions, I realized that that’s exactly why I am friends with these people. The best friendships are in a constant pendulum of give and take – not everyone you identify yourself with is the same, and those differences should be celebrated. When I am being self-centered, thank God that I have a friend there to balance me out. Having a friend that I trust so much makes me want to be trustworthy myself. We are all friends because we all admire each other. We spend time together because we love to observe the others and hope that their best qualities rub off on us. We laugh together and we struggle together because we know our own strengths and weaknesses, and know we can depend on each other to make up for what we’re lacking.

This was a great week.