A Wonderful Life — With Friends

by Clif Luber

Each Christmas Eve, I corral my family around the TV to catch the 1946 classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In this masterpiece, George Bailey, the small-town nice guy has the opportunity to see what the world would be like if he had never been born after getting stuck in a tough situation. Just before the credits roll, almost his entire town has entered his living room on Christmas Eve to come to his aid in a time of need (watch to find out why). It is then he’s told by a friend “Remember, no man is ever a failure who has friends.” It’s this lesson and everyone in George Bailey’s town’s charity that brings on the tears. George’s friends sacrifice their Christmas Eve, future vacations, and much of their savings to help a man they consider a dear friend.

My point isn’t that we should make friends for when we’re in a pinch; rather, it is to often reflect to ensure we are living our lives in a manner conducive to making and keeping friends. Often time other aspects of our life get in the way and for those of us who consider ourselves to be driven, goal-oriented, or successful, that’s great. But we should keep in mind that more important than any position we may hold or salary we may make, are the friends we share life with. Scholastic and work successes are certainly important; I’ll always remember the moment when I was accepted into my dream school and when I won major sports matches and awards. But I’ll treasure more the times I spent in high school sitting with my friends on a boat in the dock overlooking the lake because my friend’s parents didn’t trust him to take the boat out on the water. And I’ll always remember smoking cigars on the same seawall on the bay with my buddies in college.

For me, focusing on my friends means giving up more time out of my schedule for friends when they need assistance and making sure that I’m listening when friends are speaking. That said, how this is done varies form person to person so how your friendships are created, developed, and maintained are up to you. But regularly remembering the importance of those around us is a good start.

To make sure we are placing a certain level of importance on others, some questions we can ask ourselves are: Are we taking the time to truly listen to what those close to us are saying? Did we do everything we could to help our friend when they asked for help? Have we done a good job of reaching out to our friends we haven’t seen or talked to in a while? Perhaps these questions will also work for you this holiday season as you spend your precious time with family and friends. It should be no surprise that I recommend taking some time to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” to be reminded of what true success is and just how important friends are in this world. Remember, every time you realize you have found a true friend in life, an angel gets its wings.