Every person has his/her quirks, his/her own set of faults. And I am not exempted from that: I am (sometimes viciously) vindictive, overly boisterous, and extremely stubborn. But the fault that has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to count is the fact that I speak my mind too often. I suppose not everyone considers that a flaw, but I suppose it is a fault in the sense that I, more often than not, fail to consider that not everyone is as prepared as I am to hear truths about themselves and the world around them. Or that not everyone has the capacity to understand that every person’s mind works differently–that not everyone is prepared to accept the way I view the world around me.

I may not know what real friendship is, but at least I know what it’s not: it’s not only being there when everything is shiny and full of rainbows. It’s not ditching at the first sign of trouble. It’s not conforming a person to your perception of what he/she should be. It’s not imposing double standards, and it’s definitely not spending your days as if you’re constantly on probation–like you make one wrong move and you’re done.

Just like any other relationship, friendship is a two-way street. I tolerate your quirks, you tolerate mine. The moment it becomes one-sided is the moment you should realize you’re kidding yourself.

PS: I changed the last sentence to something a little less painful. Perhaps I am not as viciously vindictive as I’d like myself to be.