I recently reached out to a few of my friends to ask for feedback on a couple of projects I'm working on. Taking a cue from Ben Casnocha, instead of asking what they liked and didn't like, I asked for three specific improvements.
I appreciate friends for all the support, enrichment, and laughs they bring. But a friend's ability to give helpful, tactful, and actionable feedback is a value not to be forgotten. Both feedback and laughter make me a better person, which I would say is one of the larger kickbacks of having friends (if they give you free tickets to comedy shows, thats great too).