Does Target have it all, afterall?

I've recently been reflecting quite a bit about the nature of friends, particularly girlfriends, and the ways in which those relationships make life so much more vibrant. In this thinking, I quirkily entered "a friend" in a google search, just to see what came up. Interestingly, the top results didn't feature any porn ads, or any such nonsense. Shocking, I know! But then there appears, as top result #5, this intriguing option:

A Friend Target.com
Shop, find, buy "A Friend" and other related products at Target.com.www.target.com/gp/search.html?field-keywords=a-friend

Although I do think Target has just about everything I could possibly want, can you really "buy" a friend? I assure you, no. But then one must examine how they define 'friend.'

How do you define a friend? As for me, I've come to these conclusions - it's something beyond the simple give-and-take, the balance of yin to yang, the symmetry of common interests. I think the reason I have been blessed with great friends is that we all work at it - much like love - through the ebbs and flows, distance, the decisions that weren't the best, the decisions that change everything, the moments when you feel pride, frustration, adoration, the times when you laugh *genuinely* at and for each other, and yes, when life is sweet as a honey bee or when it rivals vinegar (and not a zesty balsamic, either).

I guess what I'm trying to say, on this autumnal Friday afternoon, is that my girl friends are beyond compare and astound me with their equal dedication to enjoying the ride. Thanks, girls (and you know who you are) for continuing to inspire me, to make lemonade when things are too tart, to regale me with tales of woe for a laugh's sake, and above all, for challenging yourselves to become more than what even you think you can be. I could gush. So could Helen.