Who are your 5 best friends? What makes them special? What do they mean in your life?
Back in 1935 the U.S. Congress declared that the first Sunday of August would be a national holiday in honor of friendship. This year, National Friendship Day falls on August 6. International Friendship Day, as designated by the UN, is even sooner: July 30. The dual dates may be a little confusing, but as far as we’re concerned, they just give us more opportunity to celebrate the amazing people who enrich our lives, put a smile on our faces, and make us feel like we belong.
Our friends are so ingrained in our lives that sometimes perhaps we take them for granted. However, these friendships are among our most valuable assets, and we should never forget to nurture them. Friendship Day gives us a golden opportunity to express our feelings and appreciation for the difference these people have made in our lives.
Send a Tribute
The official Friendship Day website provides inspirational information, as well as an official location for posting messages to your special friends. Here are a couple examples that we loved:
“If you open my heart, guess what u r gonna see? It's U. True friends are hard to find so I kept u.”
“If u r a chocolate ur the sweetest, if u r a Teddy Bear u r the most huggable, If u r a Star u r the Brightest, and since u r my "FRIEND" u r the "BEST"!!!!!!!!!”
Post your own message today! Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also provide perfect vehicles for expressing our feelings. When you post on social media, use the hashtag #NationalFriendshipDay, and encourage others to join.
Get Face-to-Face
Texting and posting keep us in touch, but true friends deserve quality time, face-to-face. Get some together-time! Plan something you both enjoy… or just hang out doing nothing.
Did a good friend move away? Schedule a visit, even if you can’t make it happen until next summer.
Those personal moments with friends are what we’ll remember when we’re old and gray – when life’s simple joys shine the brightest in our memories.
Meet a Friend at an Envision Program
Students attend Envision programs to enhance their skills, find their passion, and obtain real-life career experience. What many don’t expect is the depth of the friendships they’ll form with their co-attendees.
Here are testimonials and Instagram posts from recent Envision attendees:
"These people made my short stay at #GYLC a magical one. In 10 days they became my friends for life and will always miss you guys #friends #TryMyFuture" (Global Young Leaders Conference attendee)
“I walked in knowing no one and walked out with 20 friends who still stay in touch, a year later. I never wanted to go home.” (NYLF Medicine attendee)
"My favorite part of the experience was being around a group of like-minded individuals, with an open mind and an open heart.” (Intensive Law & Trial attendee)
“Had such a great time at UNC chapel hill with people as passionate about medicine as I am. You all are so amazing & intelligent... remember kids, improvisation saves lives #carpefuturum” (NYLF Medicine attendee)
“The past few weeks I have had the incredible opportunity of attending two leadership camps. The people I have met are truly world class and I have made friendships that I will never lose. I love all you guys and hope we'll stay friends for a long time. #nsallsummer17 #carpefuturum#fourstar17” (NYLF National Security attendee)
“I took this picture yesterday from inside a caged walkway going over a street in The Bronx with two good friends by my side… This week I met so many great and like-minded people. We formed bonds and created things I'd never have been able to make on my own... The cage in this picture represents everything holding YOU back: fear, people, doubt, etc. The city just out of focus beyond is YOUR future, YOUR journey, and YOUR story. The friends right behind me that you can't see represent that you'll have a few great people in your corner, even if you don't feel like it. So with that being said, break out of your cage, take that journey, and seize YOUR future. #carpefuturum” (NYLF Digital Media, Film, & Journalism attendee)
And from a parent:
"He found his tribe." (Game & Technology Academy attendee parent)
Famous Friendships in History
The website Visualistan gives us quick facts on some of the most famous pairs of friends in history:
- Thomas Edison (inventor) and Henry Ford (industrialist) – Friends for many years, these men both had residences in Ft. Myers, FL. Edison contributed technology to the Ford automobile and was active in his friend’s business until his death.
- Mark Twain (author) and Nikola Tesla (technologist) – Sharing a love for new technology, these two spent a lot of time together in Tesla’s lab.
- J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis (fantasy writers) – Both were university professors at Oxford, where originally they were rivals. Later they became friends in a literary group called Inklings, and provided inspiration for each other as they completed their famous masterpieces.
Famous Friendships in Literature
How many of these famous friends have you read about?
- Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
- Frodo and Sam
- Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer
- Horatio and Hamlet
- Harry, Ron, and Hermione
- Elizabeth Bennett and Charlotte Lucas
- Cathy and Heathcliff
- Sancho Panza and Don Quixote
- Anna and the King of Siam
- Peter Pan and Tinker Bell
- Pooh and Piglet
- Charlotte and Wilbur
- Calvin and Hobbes
Awesome Quotes about Friendship
Here are some of our favorite quotes about the essence of friendship. How do YOU define friendship?
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."
~Walter Winchell
"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."
~ Unknown
“A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”
~Jim Morrison
“A person’s friendships are one of the best measures of their worth.”
~Charles Darwin
"A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more."
~Unknown
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it