Friends. They are people you call when you are distressed, people you laugh with till it hurts and people you cry with when your heart is broken. These are the people you debate with, gossip with, run around with. They are those who know your biggest dreams, your little quirks, and your deepest secrets. The people you can call at 2AM and still be friends the morning after. All these and more bind us with our BFFs.

An old adage says, “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”. And this is not about the superficial things. What it really means is that your friends you choose to be with—people you gravitate towards—these are the people who reflect you deeper values. They are a reflection of what you want in life and where you want to be, what you think is important and what you avoid, things you believe in. They can influence you and your life choices. They can spur you to be the truest self you’ve ever been.

Yet there are times, a lot of times actually, that we take them for granted. More often than not, we ignore them, thinking they’d always be there for us when we needed them. Then we’ll realize that they have their own lives to deal with and we have to hold up our end of the friendship. We also have to work on our friendships—think it over, assess it, talk about it and celebrate it and renew it. Our friends deserve this because after all, they are the family we choose. Choosing them and making them stay is much, much important, keeping in mind that friendships should make us better and better.