It All Started With a Sweet and a Fruit

My best friend adores the sweet, Black Jack. He says he can't understand why I don't like them or even that I can't stand the smell. He could chew on a whole pack and be happy, whereas I don't even have it in me to try the sweet again, because I just know I never liked them before and I still won't now. Similarly I love bananas, whereas he can't get past their funny texture and he can't stomach the thought of the taste. These are little things, right? However, there are loads of other things that we don't have in common- loads of tastes and hobbies and things we're good at, all varying on degrees of "bigness."

This thought has lead me to think about how we automatically assume we will click with people who are almost the very same as us (it relates a little to a post I have written recently called No Unlikely Friendships). I think my best friend's and my friendship can work so well because of our subtle differences- ones we don't understand each other for. Ones we can't empathise with (even if we can and should be interested in them). Ones that I consider my best friend "famous" (in my eyes) for; but as importantly, those I wouldn't think about even nearly on a daily basis when I see or think about him.

I would say my best friend and I are actually incredibly similar (I wouldn't say we are an unlikely friendship at all), however we can't bond over the taste of a Black Jack or a banana. He is much more interested in cars than I am and you are much, much safer in betting on seeing me with a book in my hands than him. He loves pork belly slices whereas I'm slightly terrified at the thought of them. He is amused by my absolute loyalty to and adoration of McFly and I giggle with admiration at his want for order and tidiness. 

And oh my goodness these are just slight differences- some contributing much more to our personalities than others but it many ways, these little things were the building blocks that established our friendship and continue to contribute to us getting along- as will many new things in the future. I remember when our friendship began and he would ask me about books and I'd get excited and as much as he didn't understand my love for books because he doesn't have that love (as much as I will persuade him to come to the happy, bright book side), he always asked and this definitely contributes to the strength of our friendship. 

I've been trying to work out what exactly the point of this post is. I think it's this: My best friend and I can tease each other for our differences and not understand but there is no one I want to learn about more. There is no one that tries to understand my loves more than him. It's an admirable quality and I hope he knows how much I will always endeavour to learn what it is he loves about certain cars and I'll always appreciate his love for and talent in snooker. I can understand because I feel all of the feelings he has for these differences (and more) in other things! Maybe we owe our friendship to our differences

It'd be a boring world if we were all the same, wouldn't it?

A Black Jack & A Banana,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

P.S. I am blogging every day for Blogtober which you can read about HERE! Yesterday's post can also be found HERE!