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"Oh, friend-keeping. At times it can seem easy, perfect, like a sip of iced tea on a hot day. Other times, it&amp;#x27;s, well, hard, and friendship drama affects our happiness in real ways (I know, I&amp;#x27;ve been there). Still, despite all the ups and downs you may be going through with your pals, it&amp;#x27;s important to remember one thing: You can&amp;#x27;t change them, you can only work on yourself--which is why this advice is so so so good... If someone asked you what is the most important trait of a good friend, what would you say? Sense of humor? Honesty? A good listener? Generous? All of these things, of course. But you know what is consistently one of the best qualities of a loyal, true friend? Showing up. Woody Allen famously said that 80 percent of success in life is directly related to showing up, but that&amp;#x27;s also true for friendship. (Happiness do or don&amp;#x27;t: Reconnecting with a pal who hurt you in the past) My friend Sally reminded me that recently when I confessed to her that I felt anxious about my reading tonight in Seattle for my new novel, Blackberry Winter. The novel was just published today (I&amp;#x27;d be so excited if you looked for it in your local bookstore or ordered online!), and I definitely get a little jittery about public speaking. And not only did she say she&amp;#x27;d come to the event and cheer me on, but in a text last night, she also reminded me of something that I never want to forget: &amp;quot;They say part of being a good friend is to &amp;#x27;just show up&amp;#x27; in life, and I think that&amp;#x27;s so true... .&amp;quot; Such great advice to remember, huh? More reading: *The good friend&amp;#x27;s breakup survival guide. *And, the do&amp;#x27;s and don&amp;#x27;ts of being friends with men. *Are your friends making you fat? Photo: istock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2012/09/your-happiness-the-friendship>