Thanks Andressa for the “five steps” idea :).

1. A real friend helps you move.
Ever been in a “no-escape” situation? Feeling that there’s no way you can solve it, being one inch from giving up, changing town, country, planet?
Last year me and my best friend went on vacation to Italy. We visited Rome, Sicily, Florence, had a lot of fun, spent all our money. Arrived in Venice at 2 pm to catch the “6 pm” flight to Bucharest. Actually, our flight was at “6 am”. Damn. “Sorry, your tickets are not refundable. You’ll have to buy other ones. Only 500 euros, tomorrow at 8 am”. 500 euros. Yeah, right! We called my dad, who amazingly found a bus that was leaving from Venice at 5 pm. It was 4:00. We arrived. Everything went good. My best friend was calm and encouraging all the way. No “it’s all your fault” or “what are we gonna do now”. Just pure and honest confidence. It helped me “move”.

2. A real friend walks in when everyone else walks out.
A few years ago I caught chicken pocks. Kinda late, I know, but shit happens. I had to stay locked up in my apartment for 3 weeks. My parents and sister were not in town. Heck, they weren’t in the country, either. Guess who stayed with me, brought me food and took me to the doctor? Yes, my best friend.

3. A real friend always listens
I always have a lot of stuff on my mind. Projects, clients, pieces of code, plans. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the information I have to process. And you know what has always helped me get over? Talking about it to my best friend, who’s always been there to listen.

4. A real friend is someone with whom you dare to be yourself
Although I’m a very sociable and friendly person, I tend to keep a certain distance between me and my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love having friends and spending time with them, I just don’t let them get to me. Maybe I don’t wanna get hurt. Sue me. But when I’m with my best friend, I feel comfortable enough to be me, do what I want, say what I want, act as I like.

5. A best friend never gets tired of you!
Five years ago we didn’t even talk to each other. Actually, we couldn’t stand each other. How everything started is another story, but we’ve been best friends for the last four years. And we still enjoy every second we spend together.

Thank you for being my best friend, Denisa. Happy birthday!