What’s A True Friend? The Secrets to Building A Special Relationship

This post is sponsored by Rockland Trust.

In this day of social media and technology, it’s easy to go through life thinking we have to accumulate friends. Like the number of friends somehow equates to the quality of friendship. But that’s so not true. Having a good friend, a true friend, and creating a special relationship with that person over time is by far more important than the sheer volume of friends one needs to have in their life.

Five years ago I met someone who I now consider one of my closest friends and I share one of the most special relationships with her. I’m talking about my friend and fellow cruise blogger, Danielle Fear of CruiseMiss.com. We started chatting on Twitter, found we had similar interests, and our friendship seemed to explode from there.



We talk every single day, most days by text, but we still connect every single day. I’ve had some friends ask why I don’t call or contact them more often, but the truth is that it’s a two-way street. Danielle and I both make an effort to connect with each other and to maintain our special relationship. A quick check in every day to see how the other is doing takes all of a second, even when we’re busy or traveling.

Speaking of traveling, we have traveled together and successfully not killed one another. That, to me, is the ultimate sign of a great and special relationship. We have traveled far and wide and enjoyed each other’s company every single day.

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Danielle and Marian in Amish Country

From our #TwoGirlsAndARoadTrip Northeast Road Trip. Here we were in Amish Country in Pennsylvania.

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Danielle and Marian at an Orioles game

Then we were in Baltimore at an Orioles game. This was Danielle’s very first American baseball game and I was so glad to share it with her.

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Marian and Danielle in NYC

Next we were in NYC enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city, the bright lights, and of course, the amazing nightlife.

We’ve spent time together on a cruise like our Fred. Olsen cruise on Balmoral to Spain and Morocco where we explored Spain and enjoyed probably one too many drinks onboard the ship.

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Marian and Danielle in Amsterdam

We’ve somehow made Amsterdam a go to destination since she won’t get on a plane and can take a ferry over. We’ve visited a few times together and have had so much fun. Currently, we’re planning our biggest adventure of all and our next big trip, our world cruise in 2018.

While I let Danielle know all the time how important she is to me, this holiday season, I think it’s super important to do more for those special relationships in your life. Like letting those special people in your life know just how important they are to you. That includes family and friends and maybe people you see every day like the mailman, FedEx delivery driver, or your favorite teller at the bank. I look to foster and improve those special relationships all the time in the same way that Rockland Trust does with its customers. It’s always nice to feel like you’re more than a name or a number with businesses or friends and family, doesn’t it?

Special relationships are what keep us sane, help us to maintain focus, and remember who we are and who we are supposed to be. Do you have any special relationships that you can’t imagine being without? Let me know in the comments below.

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