2 qualities of a true friend

There's nothing better than a good friend. 
On a bad day, they're on hand to listen, ply you with chocolate and hugs, and make everything okay. 

But what if you're in need of a good friend?
What qualities can you be on the lookout for to identify someone you can trust? 
There are many, but two key qualities are analyzed below.

True friends are loyal

If you find yourself around a pleasant person who is consistently supportive of loved ones and acquaintances, this may be due to their loyalty. 
Personally, I've always admired people who go to bat for and defend their friends even when said friends aren't present.  
For example, I have a friend who is very close to her parents. 
Of course, they don't agree on everything, but she and her parents are truly friends. 
I've been around her when someone says something negative about one of her parents, even jokingly. 
She, very politely and without aggression, will always say something positive about her parents in return. 
She is loyal. 
This is the kind of friend that I'd like to be and it's the sort of friend I enjoy being around. 
Spending time with someone who is loyal makes you feel secure. 
You know the things you tell them will stay with them and that they're choosing to keep you close because they truly value you. This contributes to your self-esteem and confidence.
You easily see that their loyalty to you comes, not from some cold feeling of responsibility they begrudingly carry out, but from their love and appreciation for you as a person. 
It makes you want to be loyal to them in return. 

True friends respect you

The word "love" is thrown around a lot. 
"I love that jacket!" "I love your hair!"... "I love you."
But sometimes, when it comes to loving another person, we forget that love involves respect. 
In my home state of Louisiana, domestic abuse is a huge problem.
In addition to the many cases of beatings and attempted murders that are related to domestic abuse, local media outlets say that in 2021, at least 61 homicides related to domestic violence occurred. Many of the victims were women, as Louisiana is one of the leading U.S. states when it comes to men killing women.
I bring this up because in many of these incidents of domestic violence, the abuser will say they "love" the person they abuse. 
They often mean this sincerely.
But they hurt them, physically and emotionally. 
So, how is this love?
It's a dilapidated form of love, like a "house" that's so damaged it's not even a house anymore, it's a blighted building.
This is because their love lacks respect. 
So, is it love?
Not exactly. 
True love involves holding someone in esteem, regarding them as valuable, which fuels a person's every decision when it comes to how they treat this individual. Because they value this individual's perspective, ideas, and their very presence- they always treat them with respect. 
So, a good friend will treat the people they care for with such respect.
What does respect look like?
It means speaking well of someone even when they're not present, it means listening to someone with the aim of understanding their perspective and perhaps even learning from them, it means deferring to them during an argument or peacefully agreeing to disagree. 

To be honest, as I write this, I realize I could be a much better friend to the lovely people in my life, because they deserve more loyalty and respect. 
This may seem like a random post, and really, it is lol.
But sometimes it's helpful to reflect on these things and assess ourselves as well as the people we've allowed into our lives and hearts. 
It helps us to see if we're headed in the right direction or if we need to regroup and change our path. 

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Thanks for stopping by the blog! 
And if you have any thoughts on the subject of what qualities make a good friend, please feel free to share them in the comments section below, or on the comments section of the YouTube video above!