My Idea Of A Real Friend Tom Rath

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My idea of a friend is a person who shares similar morals and interests as I do. A friend is a person that will be there to make my life more positive and encourage me to live my life to the fullest. They will encourage me, support me, point out my mistakes, and help me make better choices from those mistakes. Regardless of disagreements or different views of things in life, a friend will accept me for who I am. This concept of a friend was not always this way. It took a very long time for me to learn what a real friend is.
According to Tom Rath’s Vital Friends, my best friend Donna Michelle fills many roles; here I will touch on a few: Mind Opener, Companion, and Champion. I will start by saying that Donna is not an ordinary friend. She is …show more content…

By the time I was around the age of 16, I ended up in a larger facility called Caliente Youth Center. After arriving at CYC, lo and behold, Donna shows up. We were both in tears when we saw each other. Our friendship resumed like we never parted. She is what Rath would consider to be my Companion, “You share a bond that’s virtually unbreakable.” (105). Donna was always there for me in the worst parts of my life. One day, I had received a letter in the mail from the guy I was dating saying that he was breaking up with me. I was crushed as this was my first real boyfriend I had and we had dated for two years. I later found out that he got another girl pregnant and married her two weeks after learning the news. Donna was right there beside me, being a constant in my life. She lifted my spirits, helped me get over the hurt, and helped me focus on working my program at CYC. She would write me loving letters of encouragement and notes to brighten my …show more content…

Again, we lost touch. About 8 or 9 years later, social media brought us back together again. In those years apart we have been through many changes in life: marriages, children, family problems, and deaths – almost everything you can list. We spent a lot of time talking and catching with one another. By this time in my life, I had enlisted in the military and was a single mom. Since the time we reconnected, she has been one of my biggest fans and has always supported me. She tells me all the time that I am her hero and she looks up to me for the things I have done and overcome. Rath describes a Champion, “When you succeed, they are proud of you, and they share it with others.” (93). Donna is most definitely my champion. She tells me that I motivate her in life and that her children look up to me as well. Even though I feel as though I am not great of a person, Donna will never let me forget that I am

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