multi-masking

Funny how as a friend, everybody seems to have a unique role. There will always be that person you go to for great advice. In the same way, there will always be that person you feel protective of and love to shower with pearls of wisdom. There’s that one fellow you go to to share your stories, but there’s also a different person to regal you with their own stories. There’s that person you love because they get a kick out of doing little things for you, and another one who makes you appreciate the gift of giving.

There are more classic niches, too. That one person who makes you and your other friends laugh. That one person who you enjoy picking on. That one person who is your shock absorber. That one person who sees you as a trusted confidante. That one person you love getting wasted with. That one person who’s the best shopping and/or food trip buddy. That one person who updates you with everything. That one person you update with everything.

I’m just wondering, do friends really have to be categorized? Has the word friend really lost its true meaning and is now just merely a cliche? I tried googling the definition and was amazed at how it took me this long to really wonder at how the word “friend” is being literally defined by the top dictionary sites.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend

1 a : one attached to another by affection or esteem
b : acquaintance

2 a : one that is not hostile
b : one that is of the same nation, party, or group

3 : one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)

4 : a favored companion

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/friend

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter
3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile
4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/friend

1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement

And then I came across UrbanDictionary.com and found a bunch of very interesting answers:

For Jimbo:
A real friend is someone who:

a)it’s okay to fart in front of.
b)you don’t mind talking to on the bus for atleast 20 minutes.
c)can borrow $5 and never has to pay it back
d)you’ll actually call up do stuff.

Bob: “Hey Jim, you wanna go see a show downtown”
Jim: “Sorry man, I’m broke, and how are we gonna get there.”
Bob: “No problem, I’ll lend you the 5 bucks and we’ll take the bus.”
Jim: “Yeah, okay” (loud farting sound)
Bob: “Whoah! That was a good one!

Ergo, Bob and Jim are friends.

For Mercury GM:
A person who would never intentionally hurt you, lie to you, deceive you, manipulate you, abuse you and who takes great care to be kind to you, honest with you, dependable and loyal. Someone who you trust without question because they have never given you any reason not to trust them. Someone you enjoy being around and look forward to seeing. Someone who would sacrifice themself for you.

For tangles10:
A friend is someone you love and who loves you, someone you respect and who respects you, someone whom you trust and who trusts you. A friend is honest and makes you want to be honest, too. A friend is loyal.

A friend is someone who is happy to spend time with you doing absolutely nothing at all; someone who doesn’t mind driving you on stupid errands, who will get up at midnight just because you want to go on an adventure, and who doesn’t have to talk to communicate with you.

A friend is someone who not only doesn’t care if you’re ugly or boring, but doesn’t even think about it; someone who forgives you no matter what you do, and someone who tries to help you even when they don’t know how. A friend is someone who tells you if you’re being stupid, but who doesn’t make you feel stupid.

A friend is someone who would sacrifice their life and happiness for you. A friend is someone who will come with you when you have to do boring things like watch bad recitals, go to stuffy parties, or wait in boring lobbies. You don’t even think about who’s talking or who’s listening in a conversation with a friend.

A friend is someone for whom you’re willing to change your opinions. A friend is someone you look forward to seeing and who looks forward to seeing you: someone you like so much, it doesn’t matter if you share interests or traits. A friend is someone you like so much, you start to like the things they like.

A friend is a partner, not a leader or a follower.

For LovelyLivia:
A friend is someone who knows you but loves you anyway.

For Anurag Sinha:
A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. A person who would never intentionally hurt you, lie to you, deceive you, manipulate you, and who takes great care to be kind to you, honest with you, dependable and loyal. Someone who you trust without question because he/she has never given you any reason not to trust. Someone you enjoy being around and look forward to seeing. Someone who would sacrifice him/herself for you.

For little dipper:
“a kindred spirit. Someone who is born with a similar molecular structure as yourself and therefore interprets life through similar alien eyes thereby living on the same alien plane that you do.”

For Loduwijk:
n. a person whom you can trust with nearly any information and count on to help you out of a difficult situation, also gives advice to help you avoid making a mess of your life; many people are considered to be friends, but few truly are.

For Richard Blade:
One who you never sleep with. EVER.

For kayla c.:
A person who is kind,caring,so close to you that they can finish your thoughts.A person who will drive for two days and two nights just to help you out when you need them.They dont ask what is in it for them they just do it because they love you.

For xxRubyHeartzBrandonxx:
A friend is someone that can make you laugh, at any point in time
She/He will always care about you even if you have a huge argument

For CeciliasNightingale:
1.) A person who is a close personal aquaintence

2.) A person whom you know, like and trust

3.) A person who will gladly accept your call at 3:00am to hang out and talk about random nonsensical things.

4.) Someone to whom you are loyal to, and who in turn is loyal to you.

5.) Someone who can be honest enough with you to let you know when you’re acting like a complete idiot.

6.) A person with whom you gladly create mischief.

7.) Someone to whom you can speak a completly nonsensical sentence to and will fully comprehend it.

For maidenofthemoor:
A friend is someone with whom you share the fondest of memories….but those that only you will understand …. exchanging mugs of coffee three doors down, a time share cat named Joseph, on the road telephone conversations into the night,cooking Christmas turkey, tequila shooters, and When Harry Met Sally.

A friend is someone that you can snuggle into on the couch and laugh and cry and talk, or do nothing at all.

A friend is someone who is honored with the title of best friend and will always hold it, even though circumstances change around them, time grows scarce, lives grow busy, minds grow forgetful and the opportunities for that closeness are not as available anymore.

A friend breathes deeper and diverse meanings into the word love.

A friend is someone who is always held close in the heart no matter the distance between three houses.

For kaekae:
a friend is someone who should always be there for you, care about you, make you laugh, and knows how to make you feel better when your down.

when a friendship ends or you grow apart from a friend, it can hurt almost more than anything. like a non romantic “break up”. it sucks.

For skez:
person of your acquaintance with a particular trait which makes sleeping with him/her totally unappealling

For Suburban Decay:
An ambiguous term implying various degrees of emotional, physical, and imaginative closeness.

For shortkite24:
That guy who can act like an ass and a week later you both are at the bar together. That guy who can see you at your worst and tomorrow you’ll be shooting hoops with him. That’s a friend.

For DLG:
A thing that people often fantasize to truly exist, although people only have friends for selfish reasons, and think little or nothing of what the “friend” wants. “True friends” are a fantasy.

The contribution list goes on and on — I only got up to page 5 and to tell you honestly, it’s over 12 pages long. Personally, I loved the last three definitions for some inexplicable reason. In any case, going through these inputs made me partially understand the reason behind the stereotyping within friendships.

It appears that indeed, the perfect friend does not exist at all. I’m guessing that’s the reason why we call our best friends best friends and not perfect friends — it kinda sounds off too, don’t you think? Maybe just like in a relationship where the couple is supposed to complement each other instead of merely being a reflection of each other, friends have individual roles because they are several pieces of a puzzle who need each other in order to be complete.