Love Without Wings Can Be Twice As Nice

I've just returned home after a meal out with some friends and it has literally just hit me what amazing people I'm leaving behind.

"Friends are the family you choose"
"Friendship is love without his wings"

Never could two quotes make more sense to me and relate so well.
True friends will forever be there, no matter what the distance, obstacles or dilemmas you face between you. You can rack up the miles, tick of the days, weeks or even months since you last saw them and never question the magnitude of your friendship.
Bonds that are made between friends are the ones that leave finger, even footprints, over your mind, heart and soul - the memories you create will never leave you and will last a lifetime.
A lover can be an easier one to find, attraction will lead the way for you, making your mind up on first sighting. But a good friendship, a good girlfriend, is a harder thing to come across. There's no obvious attraction (well, not always haha), no obvious pointers that your souls could be linked, no obvious trademarks of interests, hobbies or topics of conversation... so how is a friend spotted. How are they made?

I think it's a beautiful thing how one small moment in life, such as holding open a door, or picking up someone's pen for them, can possibly affect the rest of your life. That person that you've glanced at momentarily could become someone so important to you, someone you lean on, someone you trust and someone you miss, and at that first moment meeting, you don't even know it yet.

So, friends are people you meet randomly right? No... I think it's already decided. The opportunity to meet them is presented to you, it's your decision if you take it up or not. You didn't have to hold open that door, nor pick up that pen. You didn't have to glance their way, you just happened to. You didn't have to bump into them again, or speak to them again at work, ask them a question, find out they are a lot nicer than you first judged, then realise you've made a friend... it was a choice, whether conscious or subconscious, it was a choice you made to persue that friendship... thus "friends friends are the family you choose".

It makes me sad that tonight I have only just realised how great the girls I've worked with for the last two years actually are, each individual with their own ticks and quirks, but that's what made me love them in the first place - it's only when I know I'm leaving it behind in 5 days time, that I truly found how much those friendships mean to me, no matter how close we are or aren't. Now I know I'm leaving it behind, I wanna grip on and never let go...

Thanks for the memories... <3