My Vitamin F

Melanie is soft-spoken, nurturing, and motherly. Rebecca is vocal, outgoing, and ambitious. Ashley makes the party plans, and enjoys my same sense of humor. Marina is European, sassy, and fashionable. Lisa values a good chicken parm, big glasses of wine, and living “carefree.” Maria is hard to make plans with, but will always be my number one cheerleader.

Welcome to my personal melting pot of friends. It is obvious that all of my friends and I are diverse culturally, racially, politically, and religiously. But, each friend possesses characteristics that makes us all so different socially.

I received an e-mail from someone who talked about our various friends, and what each of them has to offer in the relationship. It started to make me reflect on my “BFFs.” With Melanie I practice caution, with Ashley I create new inside jokes, with Marina I learn how to dress (better), with Lisa I discover how to enjoy the little things in life, and with Maria I get to talk to someone who will genuinely listen.

You might have that one person who serves all those functions. But, I have friends from completely opposite social groups. It is one of those scenarios where I can hang with Marina and Ashley, but they do not get along and wouldn’t want to hang out with each other.

How do all of these people match with ME? It is because each friend reflects a different side of myself – and when I hang out with all of them, I get to see those various sides that make up who I am. So I myself have a nurturing side as well as a sassy side.

I used to think I was strange for my “social butterfly-like” ways. Even though I am enjoying one too many happy hours and sharing one too many glasses of wine – at least there is a health benefit to all of this.

Physicians actually tell us that friends are good for our health, and Dr. Oz refers to them as our Vitamin F. According to an e-mail I received, Vitamin F is essential to your well being, and allows you to be up to 30 years younger than your real age. It can also assist in stopping stress and reducing cardiac arrest.

So there’s not only a social reason, but also a health reason why we have friends who serve different functions.

There’s the friend you choose to sit with on the couch every Friday night. The friend you choose to go out to a bar with for Sunday Funday. The one you choose to text during times of need and the one you choose to call after a breakup.

Hm… I wonder what type of friend I am! Clearly from this article – the talkative one.

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