Real Friendship (How not to suck at it)

This Sunday I will be talking about friendship in general and how to be a good friend (which also tells you what to look for in those you call “friend”).   And you already know why this is important. Friendship is good for our soul. Friends can make the ordinary, extraordinarily fun. And good friends ease our pain and lighten our heavy load.   But not only are friends good for the soul, they’re good for the body as well.   Friends help us:   ward off depression  boost our immune system  lower our cholesterol decrease  the odds of coronary disease  and keep stress hormones in check.  According to Harvard Health, dozens of studies have shown that people who have social support from family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.   Conversely, a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression, later-life cognitive decline, as well as increased mortality.   One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that the lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50%.   No wonder God says so much about how to do relationships. And as if to make the point, this goes all the way back to the beginning.