Top 5 Friends Everyone Needs

Through high school, most of my friends were circumstantial (but still absolutely valuable and loved) so it wasn't until college that I fully understood the value of making friends. Before I left for BW, most of my friends were people I had known since I was 6. When I moved to Berea, I learned that not only was I responsible for actively making my friends, I was also able to hand-pick the people I wanted to hang out with (if you didn't grow up in a small town, you will not understand this. When your grandparents were best friends with a classmate's grandparents, you were stuck. When you both took Spanish II, or AP English, or Stage Band, you were stuck. This is why I never dated someone my age).

Now that I'm removed enough from college to feel settled in the friendships that lasted the latest transition, I've grouped some of the "types" of friends people might forget to find, but will definitely need. Also, these are all totally selfish and based on friends that make you a better person, and that's just fine. Friends should do that. If you can, be one of these people for someone else. 

1) The Activist- If you can find someone that hits all the major social rights groups, even better, but sometimes it's easier to fill this "type" of friend with several people. Sometimes, you may have questions (what's the appropriate way to refer to a transgender person? Why are feminists mad men asked them to smile?) because you aren't part of a certain community, but you want to be respectful in your ignorance. The Activist is your person. It can be scary to admit you don't know something, and even scarier when it's a heated topic, so this person is your go-to for how to be a more aware and considerate neighbor.

2) The Media Junkie- Again, this might be a few different people. I have friends I can text and get 5 music, book, or movie recommendations, and I could text them again next week and they could give me 5 more. These people broaden your horizon and make you think, and I'm also convinced these shared interests immortalize your friendship. There will never be talk of the good ol' days when you can talk about a new book. 

3) The Nurse- Everyone should have a friend that is in the health field. Someone you can call when you aren't sure if you should go to the ER, or that can explain glycemic index, or just give you piece of mind when WebMD tells you you're dying of infected-hangnail-syndrome. Seriously, make one of these friends NOW, because when you're sick and you don't know how much of what medicine to take, these people are the best. 

4) The Current-Events Snob- If you don't have time to read a newspaper or listen to NPR, just make friends with one of these people and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They love talking about news, and you don't look like a fool when you're talking to other people who assume you've been following Iceland's Spatula Crisis. 

5) The Lifetime Friend- Not everyone has one of these, and I know I'm lucky to have several. The lifetime friend is the person that remembers the one time you threw up in gym class in kindergarden, and when you had your first kiss in middle school. They remember all your fears, even the ones you conquered over a decade ago. They were there when you were nervous to start high school, watched you cry when you left for college, and shared your fears after graduation. For a lot of people, the lifetime friend is a sibling-- even if they aren't, you usually share moms. I know that if Becky Greene can't come to my rescue, Momma Hines will. The lifetime friend is the most difficult to hold on to (it takes a lot of flexibility for a friendship to withstand so much change) but more valuable than the other four put together (or at least 2 out of the 4. No reason to give Burt and Harrison more of an ego).