Rosemary Jonah
21 January 2026
Friendship is one of the most complex and beautiful relationships we can experience. It is a bond built on trust, understanding, and choice a connection we consciously decide to nurture. A true friend is someone who walks with you through life’s ups and downs, celebrates your victories, and offers comfort in your defeats. As the saying goes, “A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.”
Yet, friendship is not always simple. It can sharpen a person’s life, pushing them to be better, offering wisdom, motivation, and love. But it can also wound deeply. Betrayal, back-tapping, or broken trust can leave scars that take years to heal. I often tell my friends, “Your secrets are safe with me,” yet I have learned the hard way that mine are not always safe with them. That realization stings, but it also teaches discernment the art of knowing who deserves your trust.
We are sometimes blamed for having the wrong friends, but unlike relatives, friendship is a choice. A cousin, sibling, or parent comes by chance, and you cannot choose them. A friend, however, is someone you consciously invite into your life, and that choice carries responsibility. Choosing wrongly can bring pain, disappointment, and betrayal but it also offers lessons in wisdom and self-protection.
Friendship can be a blessing when it uplifts, encourages, and supports. It can be a trial when it deceives, abandons, or undermines. Learning to recognize both is part of life’s journey. Surround yourself with people who inspire, respect, and value you, and never settle for those who do not.
Friendship’s power is undeniable: it can make life richer or harder, brighter or darker. Friendship is good, friendship is bad, but since there’s nothing worth having a friend, never lose the chance of choosing the right one.
