Okay, y’all. Grab your coffee, your tea, or your wine (I don’t judge, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere), because we need to have a serious conversation about friendship.
I saw this quote today: “I got a friend that loves me regardless on good and bad days! I pray God keeps her in my life forever!”
And I just had to pause for a second, look up at the ceiling, and whisper, “Amen.” And then I had to whisper, “And Lord, please give her extra patience because You know I am a LOT.”
Beyond the “Instagram Friendships”
Let’s be real for a second. We live in a world of “Instagram friendships.” You know the ones—perfect brunch photos, matching outfits, filtered smiles where everyone looks like they have their life together. That’s cute and all, but that is not what I’m talking about today.
I’m talking about the trenches.
I’m talking about the friend who has seen you looking like a raccoon because you fell asleep in your mascara after a mental breakdown. I’m talking about the friend who answers the phone on the first ring when you’re spiraling about something that, in hindsight, was absolutely ridiculous.
The Contrast of the Good Days
It’s easy to be my friend on the good days. When my hair is cooperating, my eyeliner is even, and I’m cracking jokes? I’m a delight! I am the life of the party! I am Tina, hear me roar! We can go out, have drinks, laugh until our stomachs hurt, and it’s all sunshine and rainbows.
But the quote doesn’t just say “good days.” It says “regardless on good and BAD days.” And that, my friends, is where the real MVPs are separated from the casuals.
In the Trenches of the Bad Days
Let’s talk about the bad days. Because if you’re reading “Stories from Tina,” you know I keep it 100% real. My bad days aren’t just “oh, I’m a little sad.” No. My bad days are full-on cinematic events.
The Anatomy of a Cinematic Meltdown
My bad days involve me overthinking a text message sent three years ago. They involve me ranting about things that make zero sense to anyone but me. They involve me needing reassurance every five minutes that I am not, in fact, the worst human being on the planet.
And this friend? The one I’m praying God keeps in my life forever? She doesn’t run. She doesn’t say, “You know what, Tina? You’re too much drama.”
No. She pulls up a chair. She pours the tea. She listens to the same story I’ve told her fifteen times, and she still reacts with the appropriate amount of shock and outrage, just to support me. That is love. That is unconditional, “I-saw-you-ugly-cry-and-I-still-think-you’re-cute” kind of love.
An Anchor for the Rollercoaster
We need these friends because life is hard. It’s messy. Sometimes you feel like you’re crushing it, and ten minutes later you feel like life is crushing you. You can’t survive that rollercoaster alone. You need that one person who acts as your anchor—or at least holds your hand while you scream on the way down.
To have a friend who sees the cracks in your armor, who sees the messy, unpolished, chaotic version of you and says, “I got you,” is the biggest blessing on earth. It’s a God-thing. Truly. Because I know for a fact that I didn’t do anything to deserve that kind of loyalty, but I am thanking the Big Man upstairs every single day for sending it my way.
A Love Letter to My Ride or Die
So, to my Ride or Die:
I know I’m a handful. I know I text you 40 times in a row without waiting for a reply. I know I can be loud, opinionated, and sometimes a little bit crazy. But thank you.
Thank you for loving me when I’m unlovable. Thank you for laughing at my jokes (even the bad ones). Thank you for being the calm to my storm.
Send This to Your Person
If you’re reading this and you have that person in your life—that one friend who sticks like glue through the mud and the mess—do me a favor. Text them right now. Send them this post. Tell them you love them.
Because good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. And me? I’m never letting mine go. God is gonna have to keep her around forever, because quite frankly, I don’t know who else would put up with me!
Love y’all,
Tina 💕