This article is dedicated to my friend and fellow Friends superfan, Gavin Neo, and the millions of fans worldwide. We have much to thank Gavin for, after all it was his persistence that brought Friends to Netflix Singapore in the first place. Don’t believe me? Google “Friends Gavin Neo”. Thanks man, you’re the real MVP.
Together, let’s revisit all 6 of our favourite friends and some of the lessons they taught us growing up.
Phoebe taught us to just be ourselves, even if others think it’s weird
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This one’s for everyone out there who has never quite fit into the mold that society’s created. Growing up, Phoebe had a hard life. At a young age, her dad left, her mum killed herself and she lived on the streets. Still, she never let her past define her and she stayed true to herself. She wrote songs, played the guitar and although not many people appreciated it, that never mattered to her because she just really enjoyed it. We love Phoebe Buffay for the queen that she is – more accurately, the Princess Consuela Bananahammock that she is.
Joey taught us to be passionate about what we love, whatever it is
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It doesn’t matter what it is, if you love it, just put your 110% into it. Joey showed us how far he could go with acting, food and even women when he pursued each one. He took on different jobs before achieving his dream of becoming an actor and played Dr. Drake Ramoray. When it came to food, well, Joey doesn’t share food. Period. As for the ladies, he always knew just what to say, “how you doin’?”. If you put your mind to it, you’re a hell of a lot closer than not trying in the first place.
Chandler taught us to choose honesty, even when it’s hard
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It’s not always easy being honest but it’s better than keeping track of the lies you tell to cover up the truth. There’s always the risk of being found out, like that time the others walked in on him kissing Monica and in order to keep up the charade, he kissed Rachel and Phoebe on the lips too like it was completely normal amongst friends. Not forgetting that time he ran away from his own wedding because well… he was honestly scared. Thankfully, he realised what would truly scare him is a life without Monica. That’s what it is, being honest with your own feelings and with others. We love the Bings!
Monica taught us that it’s always good to have a plan but it’s also important to accept that life doesn’t always go according to plan
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She’s the one who always has a plan for everything. She keeps things clean, organised and perfectly labeled. She’s always striving for perfection but even she realised that life has its own plans. Us living in it, will just have to learn to adapt – no matter how hard that is. Even if it means a different engagement from what she envisioned or not being able to give birth to a baby of her own, life knocked her perfect plans right out of the window but she got through it all. As will we.
Ross taught us to never stop looking for our lobster
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For many of us, the journey to finding true love is bumpy to say the least. Ross is the very definition of never giving up on this journey. He got married (and divorced) 3 times, which is definitely some sort of record. He was always hopeful that he would find his true love, it didn’t matter how many times his friends made fun of him being in the divorced men club. Of course, over time he finally realised his lobster was always Rachel. I hope we all find our lobster someday.
Rachel taught us to embrace change
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Change is never easy but it’s the only constant in life. Rachel went from living a sheltered privileged life to moving to New York City and staying with her friends in an apartment. She went on to be a waitress at Central Perk and earning her very first paycheck to climbing the ranks in Ralph Lauren. She didn’t start out knowing what to do, much like many of us, but she kept going and learning more about herself with every change that happened in her life. Embrace change, don’t fear it, you’re only going to grow.
You know, even after 10 seasons and a reunion episode 17 years later, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Friends. Even recently when dating rumors between Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) and David Schwimmer (Ross) sparked, I couldn’t help but to feel like they were never on a break.
