Thinking About Friendship

I've been thinking a lot lately about the nature of friendship. What it is, and what it isn't. The reality is that true friendship is rare. I cherish the true friends I have. It took a long time for me to realize and accept that friends come and go throughout life, and that is a part of life. The abiding friendships, the ones that endure through the years-the ones that thrive no matter what-are the exceptions. It's a true friend who can pick up a conversation that ended a year ago, and make you feel as though no time has passed at all. A friend from University recently got in touch after a VERY long time (dang, I won't say how long!) and it's a delight that his sense of humor hasn't changed at all. Our emails back and forth are such fun, and there are no expectations. I like this. This is something to celebrate. Daily phone calls can be great, but I'm learning that I vastly prefer quality to quantity.
Here is what I am learning: Proximity and mere habit sometimes becomes a factor in friendship, and permits a friendship to continue long after it has become unhealthy. Change is an inevitable part of life. When friends change in dissimilar ways, it can be difficult to hang onto the things you had in common. Especially if one (or both) of the friends is... crazy eccentric a bit quirky.

It's with great surprise that I'm realising that if I open the gate, people are willing to come through! And I'm enjoying the experience that children take for granted: that sometimes, if you are very lucky, you meet someone and recognize the potential friend right away. There was a time when I would have resisted that recognition, but no more.

I love my friends.