Friendship Flowers

yellow rose - friendship

For those of you who are frequent readers of Honestly YA, you may know I tend toward a little “comic relief” in my posts. For those of you who are new to Honestly YA, you can just go ahead and believe that “comic relief” is my role, okay? I want to get that out of the way because as much as I planned - months ago, when this topic came up - to keep a little comedy in my post, it abandons me today.

 See here’s the thing. I’m starting a new topic today: Stand by Me / Lean on Me. it’s about “being there” for your friends. Having their backs and them having yours. it’s a particularly meaningful topic for me, and one that shows up repeatedly in my fiction. Deadly Farce a mystery with a generous dollop of humor, looks at how far the main character will go to keep her friends safe. Braving the Titanic looks at how much a character is willing to risk for a friend. Even the manuscript I’m working on now asks a similar question: how much will you sacrifice for the good of your friends? Friendship and loyalty are themes I return to again and again.

cornflower - loyalty

Today I was reminded why.

Because when life goes down the toilet, a true friend is there for you. They pick you up, tell you everything’s going to be okay, maybe take you for ice cream, or a frappuccino. Their default behavior is to look after you, cheer you if they can, support you, defend you, be strong when you can’t be. Your job is the same. When your friend’s life has gone to hell, it’s your turn. You are the one to offer support, a shoulder to cry on, a frappuccino.

Friendship and loyalty. For me, these ideas go hand in hand. They are inseparable. Indivisible. Non-negotiable.

Now here's an odd fact. Those friends who have always stood by me, could always be counted on when life went south, always knew when to make me laugh or when to let me cry... those are the friends I made in high school. And as I've said before, I'm an old broad. High school was a long time ago. But it is also, as you all know too well, one of the most challenging, terrible, wonderful times. It stands to reason the friends you make then will stay for a lifetime.

To be fair, I have friends now, made during my so-called adult years, who are every bit as true as the gals from high school. But I've also been betrayed by more so-called friends since then. So I thank my lucky stars for the friends who've stood by me, who always have my back, and know I'd rather have a frappuccino than an ice cream. To each of those great gals I send today a (virtual) mixed bouquet of cornflowers and roses (with some daisies thrown in simply because they're cheerful *s*), but especially to Petra - even though she keeps beating my ass at Words with Friends - and to Julie for the virtual frappuccino that got me through my day.

Your turn. Who are you sending a bouquet to today? I hope your list is long!

(added note: if you would like to go ahead and send these flower images to your friends, you are safe to do so! both are public domain images!)

~Jen