Remaining friends

I used to think that none of my "real" friends would hurt me or let me down - that I just had to find the people who wouldn't hurt me and become their friends. As I've grown older and lived more and hopefully matured and become wiser, I realize this thought to be inaccurate. I wish it were true - then you would just have to go on this massive search for those certain people who cared enough about you never to hurt you. What I have come to realize is true, however, is this: everyone will hurt you and/or let you down. We are all human and for a mass variety of reasons we will eventually, if not consistently, do things that are hurtful to others. Sometimes we don't even mean to or are unaware that we've done something hurtful. The secret then, is this - find the people who you can forgive when they hurt you, just because you want to keep them in your life. I don't think most of us purposely hurt our friends and family - it just happens as we try to survive, try to take care of ourselves, let our insecurities take over, and just plain give in to our selfish nature. I am, of course, not talking about being ignorant and not standing up for yourself and not setting a boundary to rid your life of toxic people. I'm talking about not expecting perfection from fellow humans. Therefore, when you find someone whose friendship is worth keeping, even though you sometimes have to overlook small comments or actions that are hurtful, hang onto them. After all, no man is an island - we all need friends to lean on once in awhile.