Many people come and go out of your life but only few stay with you for longer time as you go through many stages of your life. The only way to keep your friendship strong is to nurture it actively. Some friendship doesn’t require much nurture and it’s not hard while some require much attention and action. It’s fine. Putting effort to keep up the friendship doesn’t mean that the friend is not right for you. It just means that it is different and requires your attention.
Handwritten Notes
These days when electronic communication are going on, when people use email, facebook, twitter, etc. for communicating, a handwritten note can really make an impression. You took some time to find a card, wrote something with hand, and then you went out specially to mail it to your friend. This shows your friend how much you care. You can choose among various types of cards to send.
1. Thank you card
2. Sympathy card
3. Note of encouragement
And you can also write something your own like you appreciate your friendship.
Stay in touch
With our busy schedules, we get the habit of calling friends only when we need them. It seems like we really don’t care about them but it’s not the case. We do like them but the tight schedules and all the other problems in our lives tend to affect the friendship. It’s fine to ask a friend for a favor but make sure you try to keep nurturing the friendship as well. Call them to know how they are or just ping them on facebook.
Call Your Friends
Electronic communication is great. You can chat on facebook or on whatsapp but hearing a friend’s voice will give you a lift. Even few minutes of talk every month is enough to keep up your friendship alive.
Meaningful Gifts
Gifts need not be large and expensive. Before you gift anything, think once. Give something useful to them. They shouldn’t take and keep it aside. Few examples include,
1. Items that spark a memory for both of you like event tickets, a funny book, gift certificates, etc.
2. Something that lifts their life burden. Recipes book, lend a hand in gardening, etc.
3. Homemade gifts like handmade scarf, a scrapbook, a memory journal, etc.
Talk
Those who always argue often are either good friends or they never discuss points of conflict. Try to argue in a healthy way if you have to. Discuss with your friend about the conflicts between you two to solve it and maintain your healthy friendship.