Friendship is one of life's greatest gifts

The moment you realise that true friendship knows no distance

By Charlene

Side by side or miles apart, friends will always be connected at heart

For as long as I can remember, moving to Australia had always been my dream. I spent every day longing for a change and was convinced that there was a better life out there waiting for me. I had no idea when that would happen or where I would end up but I knew one day that I would find the courage to move away from home to live that dream and find true happiness.

Over the years I have met a lot of people, all who have helped me find my way... Some of those people brought joy into my life... others crossed my path bringing negativity and valuable life lessons. But that's the joy of growing up, sometimes you make mistakes and allow yourself to be hurt, so that eventually you learn to surround yourself with people who share your experiences and will always be there for you because they love you... exactly as you are.

At the end of the day, we are all human, we make mistakes, we have feelings and say what's on our mind. There's no doubt that on some days we love too much, and on other days we don't loved enough. We spend time caring about things and people we shouldn't care about and then forget about those that we should. But when it comes down to it, when you have friends in your life who allow you to be yourself, none of that matters.

In the world we live in today, people are afraid to be vulnerable and instead of making friendships, they spend time judging others. They focus on the things that shouldn't matter and lose sight of what does. So when you finally find people that care about you and bring out the best, in you and allow you to be un-apologetically yourself, value their time and show them that you care about them too.

Moving to the other side of the world has given me the change I needed in my life to finally find happiness, but in doing so, I have had to leave behind some extremely special people in my life, which hasn't been easy.

But having said that, I am lucky because since the day I decided to leave home, my friends have supported me on my journey and given me the courage to live the life I've dreamed of. They have listened to my stories, shared emotional moments and continued to believe in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. They laugh at me when I'm an idiot (almost daily) and continue to help me grow into a better person.

So as hard as it can be at times, I appreciate my friends more than ever and I believe that true friendship knows no distance. I finally realise that no matter where you are in the world, people will come into your life and those who are meant to stay, will find a special place in your heart and will care enough to stay there forever.

I believe that true friendship takes us by the hand so that we aren't alone in the journey, and that just like life, friendship itself is a journey and is one of the most valuable gifts we will ever receive.