What Makes a Great Best Friend

Everyone has their own idea of what makes a great best friend. Some say it’s about trust, others say it’s about loyalty—but what really makes a best friend truly great?

Personally, I think a great best friend should resemble an alligator. Big, sweet eyes and a shiny smile seem trustworthy to me. But then again, maybe a camel would be better—after all, they could keep me secure between their humps so I wouldn’t fall.

My best friend should be able to run like a cheetah, because I have a habit of taking off and disappearing. Then again, maybe they should be a bat, detecting things with sound waves so they never lose track of me—though that might ruin the fun of hide-and-seek.

I’d love for my friend to be as fuzzy as a bear but as smooth as a pig—perfect for hugs that are both soft and comforting. It might also help if they buzzed like a bee, just to keep things interesting. And if they want to be my friend for long, they’d better learn to hang upside down like a monkey—because I love to monkey around in the trees.

Maybe the best kind of friend isn’t just one thing but someone who’s always up for an adventure—curious, playful, and ready to explore whatever comes next.

From the Author:

A few weeks ago, while browsing my writing archive, I stumbled upon this long-forgotten, playful reflection on friendship. It immediately made me smile and laugh—a little window into my younger self. I love that I can still surprise myself, and even more, that I can laugh at all the different versions of me.

I don’t remember exactly why I wrote it, but the document’s creation date is 8/24/2003, so it was likely written around that time. Back then, I often gave myself little writing assignments—sometimes just for fun, but also as a way to reflect and better understand myself. I enjoyed trying to figure myself out by getting to know myself better through my writing. I loved storytelling, creating characters, and dreaming up ideas—though I rarely finished any of them.

Maybe it’s time I finally return to them.

The Original Writing:

There are many different opinions on what makes a great best friend.  Some say looks, others say trust, but just what exactly makes a great best friend?  I think a great best friend should resemble an alligator.  Big, sweet eyes and a shiny smile seem trustworthy to me, but then again maybe a camel would be better, since then my friend could secure me between their humps, so I won’t fall.

I think my friend should be able to run like a cheetah so they can keep up with me because I like to take of and disappear.  I guess that means they should be a bat, since bats can detect things by sound waves or something like that, but then hide-and-seek wouldn’t be as much fun.

I want my friend to be as fuzzy as a bear, but as smooth as a pig, so hugging won’t hurt, it might help if my friend buzzed like a bee. And if they want to be my friend for long they had best learn to hang upside down like a monkey, since I like to monkey around in the trees.

Image credit: DALL-E (AI)