What's important in a friendship?

Today we did an exercise about stating and ranking our values within a certain area of life. I chose friendship as subject, and this is what I came up with as important criteria for a good friendship (thanks Selinda for walking me through this):

1. Trust- both ways. I must be able to trust, and feel trusted, to experience a good and secure friendship. This also requires an open dialogue, and the courage to lead such a dialogue even when it's not only sunshine and a walk in a park.
   
2. Honesty- not like in telling your friend (or being told) that "Those trousers are really aweful" or "Your hairdresser must hate you", but as in keeping stuff concerning the friendship open and spotless from lies. You must not always tell EVERYTHING, but being honest about stuff that matters and concerns the friendship is crucial.
   
3. Freedom of speach- like in the liberty to speak one's mind about stuff that's not always convenient, without fearing the friendship's going to end because you disagree or feel the need to criticise.
   
4. Loyalty- knowing that the person who calls her/himself my friend will stand by my side even through stormy times and in conflicts. Cowardly hiding or crouching away as soon as the clouds start showing up isn't a deed of a good friend.
   
5. Openmindedness- acceptance for differences in opinions, values, behaviour, orientation and other stuff. A non-judgemental mind, open to other people's right to remain themselves.

If this feels hard or impossible, maybe you shouldn't be friends in the first place? A friendship isn't a flower you pick, dry and keep for display. It's a living plant you need to care for. If you forget to care for it, you may need to make an extra effort to keep it alive. But isn't a good friendship always worth some work and effort? I have just a few real friends, that I could literally walk through fire and ice for, but the ones I love and care for are worth every second of strive and effort I make to keep them happy and feeling special to me.