As a person who has made best friends in the country that I no longer inhabit, I know the tale-tell signs of finding those lifetime friends that make you feel like you have the richest life out there. You might no longer share a zip code (or in some cases, you never have), but you most certainly share a passion and will for maintaining your heart-warming connection and trust.
1. They tell you the truth.
Whether you mess up or make the best decision of your life, you’re going to hear the most honest opinion about it. Your true friends won’t beat around the bush or sugar coat anything simply so that your feelings don’t get hurt. They will tell you the truth, no matter how harsh it is, because they know the value of it. You built your friendship on honesty and reliability so they will stand true to it regardless of the circumstances.
2. They’re always on your side no matter if they think you’re right.
Your buddies might think you just made a fool out of yourself or told the lamest joke in the history of mankind. They might think you’ve drank way too much and talked out of your hat. However, regardless of the situation, your lifetime friends will defend you like you’re their newborn. They may not fully understand your point, but it doesn’t matter because if someone picks on you, they will fight till death. It’s not so much about right or wrong, but about loyalty here. You’re their person so they will turn into aggressive Pitbulls if they have to in order to protect your honor.
3. You can get drunk with them.
It can either be a celebration or a cheer up day, but drinking with your lifetime friends beats everything else in the world. Since you know each other the best, you’re also familiar with each other’s alcohol tolerance, drunk personalities, and creepy guys per night limit. There’s always that one volunteer to be the designated driver and one person allowed to drink their head off since you know you’ll do it again, but in different roles. You don’t just drink, you party. You enjoy yourself and make sure each one of you has a blast. And when the morning finally comes, you know you will have these wonderful human beings by your side to hold your hair and hand you a glass of water. If that’s not friendship, then I don’t know what is.
4. They stand up for you.
If a boy is being cruel to you, they teach him a lesson in the meanest of ways. If you cry about some school assignment, they tell you that they’ve cried before as well and that it won’t matter in the long run. If you think your life is falling apart and you can’t handle anything anymore, they hug you and simply don’t say a word since they know that a hug is the best cure for everything. Being a lifelong friend with someone means taking care of them and taking their side without care for the circumstances. It means always having someone to wipe your tears and give you one of those five daily hugs when you need it most. Friendship isn’t defined by fancy Instagram posts, but by those dark hours when you need someone to just be there for you.
5. You go without seeing each other for months, yet you still keep in touch.
You might live in different cities, on different continents, but your friendship will never die. You talk as much as you can and it’s always effortless, almost as if no time has passed since you last saw each other face to face. You feel like you always have things to talk about, and you never have those awkward moments of silence when both of you simply stare at each other without saying anything. You know it will stay this way because you’ve been through way too much to simply let this amazing connection go. While it may be hard sometimes to keep it going, you are more than certain that you guys will make it. Because if not you, who else. 
