Isto é o que realmente significa ser um amigo leal

When we get our hearts broken, when we feel like there’s no one in this world who understands us, when everything is going badly… we always think about that one person in our life, aquele bom amigo que está sempre lá para nós.

No matter how tough times may get, it’s always important to have a loyal friend on our side.

Ser um amigo leal é muito mais do que aquilo que esperamos que seja. It’s also much more than writing a carta de feliz aniversário para o seu melhor amigo uma vez por ano. As pessoas tendem a perguntar-me porque é que a lealdade é importante nas amizades?

Well, let me tell you that it’s just as important to have a loyal friend as it is to have a loyal partner.

Ser um amigo leal significa ter prioridades. Whether we would like to admit it or not, we all have that one person in our life who’s always on our mind in a non-romantic way.

It’s that one friend we always think about—whether they are doing fine and if we can help them get through those tough times just a little bit more easily.

To prioritize friendships means to know when to go to your best friend, even when they haven’t asked you to.

Significa ter sempre tempo livre para eles, deixá-los deitar-se no seu colo e ajudá-los a resolver quaisquer problemas que possam ter na sua vida.

It’s knowing that they will be on your side no matter what. O que é um amigo leal senão alguém que nos defende quando alguém diz algo de mau sobre nós?

When there are times that they find themselves in the company of someone who might not like you, and they don’t hesitate to shut them up, telling them how much of an awesome person you actually are—this is what it means to have a loyal friend!

Someone who won’t think twice about defending you.

When you have a boyfriend who doesn’t seem right, a amigo leal virão ter consigo e dirão o que pensam.

I can’t even count the number of times that the people I thought to be my true friends lied to me, hiding the fact that they had seen my boyfriend cheating on me during high school and even gossiping around. Those aren’t real friends!

A amigo leal é alguém que faz da relação que tem consigo a sua prioridade! Ninguém deve ser mais importante.

Being a loyal friend means that they will run to you the moment they see something that’s not right.

It’s that friend who gives you an honest opinion that a guy might not be the right one for you for many reasons that they can see, but you don’t because you’re blinded by love.

It’s that friend who is not afraid to tell you when you buy something stupid that doesn’t look good on you. Yup. That is a definição de verdadeira amizade.

And when I say ‘amigo leal’, there is someone who pops up in your mind.

Alguém de quem se gosta muito, e esse amor platónico é suficiente para vos manter unidos para o resto das vossas vidas.

You know you have a loyal friend if you don’t have to talk to them every day, if you don’t have to spend every minute of every waking hour together, but rather when you spend days, weeks or months separated and when you finally meet, you feel that sensation of belonging—like you’ve never been separated.

O seu amigo leal é aquela pessoa na sua vida a quem se dirige em primeiro lugar para falar sobre aquela mensagem de texto estúpida ou um comentário que o seu homem lhe enviou no redes sociais.

It’s that person in your life who ends up loving you, even though they know how crazy you are.

It’s that one friend que se manterá fiel à vossa relação nos maus e bons momentos, para sempre e sempre.

And when you introduce them to a new friend you’ve just met, they are not jealous because they genuinely enjoy being in the company of all of your close friends.

They know that they will always be your bff no matter what, and you don’t have to reassure them of how important and special they are to you.

Amigos leais são aqueles amigos cuja principal foco é melhorar a vossa amizade e não apenas abandoná-la quando as coisas se tornam difíceis.

Um dos meus versículos bíblicos preferidos sobre a amizade de Provérbios 18:24 explains this one: “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

There are friends who are only interested in your company when things are going smoothly—which is the easiest part of any friendship.

Mas as pessoas verdadeiras e leais sabem que o facto de se manterem unidas nos momentos difíceis, em vez de desistirem, é o que torna uma amizade mais forte e mais profunda. Os verdadeiros amigos nunca desistem da sua amizade.

Encontram uma forma de fazer com que as coisas funcionem e nunca desistem até que tudo volte a ser como dantes.

A amigo leal nunca se esquece de apanhar their phone when you’re in need of their help or advice.

They don’t make excuses like: I was busy doing this and that…porque sabem que nunca lhes farias isso se estivessem na mesma situação.

And even if they were really prevented from answering the phone, true friends don’t forget to call you after that.

A prioridade deles é o seu bem-estar e a sua felicidade, e nunca o fazem esperar porque são amigos leais até ao tutano.

They don’t only think about themselves and they don’t only call you when they need something.

Estão sempre ao teu lado, prontos para te dar uma mão e ajudar-te a combater as forças e as pessoas más.

Amigos leais enterram os seus segredos no fundo dos seus corações e nunca, em circunstância alguma, traem a sua confiança.

Pode dizer-lhes tudo o que quiser sem recear que amanhã metade da cidade saiba de alguma forma.

Os seus segredos estão seguros com eles porque os seus corações e intenções são puros.

They don’t pretend to be your true friends only for the sake of collecting your “personal data” and sharing it with other people.

Os verdadeiros amigos são aqueles que nunca nos dão motivos para desconfiar.

When you have something important to share with them, you don’t think twice about it.

You just call them or go to them and tell everything that’s on your mind, knowing that your secrets will be safe with them because their beautiful hearts are the safest places on the planet.

A amizade leal é aquela que o inspira a tornar-se uma pessoa melhor.

Loyal friends don’t judge you (for any reason), and they don’t make you feel less important.

Em vez disso, inspiram-no a tornar-se uma pessoa melhor e a melhor versão de si próprio.

If you’re doing something wrong, they don’t just stay silent, watching you falling down.

They let you know about your wrong decisions, and they don’t give up until you’ve understood what they are trying to tell you.

Loyal friends don’t force you to do something you’re not comfortable with just because they are doing it.

Compreendem que cada um tem as suas próprias escolhas e respeitam as suas.

They respect you and love you for who you really are—not for who they want you to be.

Eles adoram as suas peculiaridades and flaws because that’s what makes you special in their eyes.

Eles sabem que estas são as suas marcas registadas e dão o seu melhor para cultivar a sua genuinidade.

Ser leal aos amigos significa ser leal a algo em que se acredita, não porque se deve, mas porque se quer.

It means hugging, cursing, yelling, crying and bleeding together because you believe in your special friendship, and you wouldn’t want to go through all those things with anyone else.

Significa fazer coisas estúpidas só pelo prazer de as fazer, rir mais tarde em conjunto sobre o quão estúpidos realmente somos, e abraçar esse momento com orgulho e mais risos.

Being loyal to friends means rising up, falling down and rising up again, no matter how many times you’ve fallen.

It means always supporting and understanding each other no matter what because if you won’t, you know that no one else will.

Significa estarmos juntos na estupidez, nos bons e nos maus momentos, nos momentos de calma e nos momentos de sangramento.

It means wiping tears from each other’s faces and plotting revenge together because that’s what amigos leais fazer. Loyal friends feel each other’s pain and share their tears.

Não têm medo de chorar à frente um do outro e de serem vulneráveis, porque sabem que são mais fortes quando estão juntos.

Eles sabem que recordar as suas velhas memórias é o que o fará sentir-se melhor, e sabem como transformar as suas lágrimas num sorriso.

And they are ready to plot revenge with you against the whole world if needed because that’s what loyal friends do.

They don’t give a shit about what other (irrelevant) people think. Fazem o que têm de fazer e fazem-no porque realmente querem.

A vossa felicidade é um reflexo da felicidade deles, e os vossos corpos e almas estão juntos nisto.

Yes, that’s what being a amigo leal tem tudo a ver. So don’t forget to treat your friends like they treat you—with respect, love and protection.

You might not find someone as amazing as they are ever again in your life, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that they won’t hold it against you for not being there for them (especially in hard times).

Vai e mostra-lhes o quanto os aprecias. Vai e mostra ao mundo que os amas e que a tua amizade é realmente algo especial.

Now, let’s summarize all of this with one of the most beautiful quotes about loyal friends by Maurice R. Franks:

“Loyalty cannot be blueprinted. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart – the center of self-respect and human dignity.”