Nelle Fullerton was a good friend of mine who was full of wisdom and lived a long life of 106 years. I was fortunate to spend much time with her in her elder years and benefited from many wise sayings from her and I miss her dearly. She often told me "If you live your entire life with 5 good friends you are a very fortunate person."
Nelle's description of friends.
Helping Friends
Nelle was very outgoing and knew a lot of people over the years. Some of these friends she would call helping friends. These friends were people who were friends with her so she would be around if they would need her help for something. They were always friendly but sometimes they were more friendly than normal. Nelle always knew when that happened they wanted helping with something.
Giddy Friends
Someone who is always outwardly happy and joyful was referred to as a giddy friend, however, Nelle never trusted them because she knew they were living within a facade. She said she would never trust them to really tell her the truth because they didn't live in reality where there is both good and bad, righteous and evil. As one could say, they saw life through rose colored glasses instead of through the clarity of the real.
Then there were those who she didn't have names for but, although were friends, they were not good friends. Those who would be your friend if you happened to fit into their schedule and conditions. Those who would be your friend only when good things were happening to you. Those who were always more interested in what was happening to them than to you. And I'm sure if I contemplated long enough I could come up with more examples she told me.
Even on her death bed I'm sure Nelle knew the good friends she had during her lifetime could be counted on one hand. She would say, "I have many, many acquaintances, but only a handful of real friends." AND, she often told me that if I thought I would end up with more than that then I was probably lying to myself.
"If you live your entire life with 5 good friends you are a very fortunate person."
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