On Advice and Best Friends

On Advice and Best Friends

Best Friends.  They’re great.  I know that sounds obvious, but it’s true.  There’s just something about them that makes them different.  They always seem to know exactly the right thing to say or do.  I suppose that’s what separates best friends for all other types and classifications of friends.  They just seem to have a way of helping us see things more clearly.  And (at least in my case), its not that my best friend has an elegant way of speaking (I definitely have a much more verbose vernacular than he does) or that he explains things in an unbelievably clear manner.  Rather, something about talking with him makes things seem so much more obvious.  Things that are muddled and confusing in my head seem to become very clear by talking with him.  And interestingly enough, many times he doesn’t even really have to say much at all.  He seems to know the right questions to ask, and I trust him enough to really express what’s on my mind.  And somehow, through the process of me explaining it to him, it all becomes clear.  And then usually to cap it all off, as things are just starting to come into focus for me, he states what, for me, is starting to become obvious and everything just clicks.  And so usually the best part of the advice that I get from him is not from a wealth of wisdom that he shares with me; rather, it is the wisdom I gain by him listening to me.

Its interesting to me that so frequently, the advice that we really need, comes from ourselves when we stop and take the time to reflect so that we can adequately explain to someone else our situation, our predicament, our thoughts, or whatever else it may be.

So next time someone comes to you for advice, maybe the best advice you can give is a listening ear and a few questions that cause them to think and reflect.