I have been doing a little soul searching, researching, and situational evaluation to bring my thoughts together on this subject. I have come to a simple conclusion that a friend and friendship do not mean the same to everyone. In fact, throughout life our own definition can change overtime. We should be constantly nurturing our thought processes and how we interact with one another; however I wonder if overtime that is always the case.
In order to put my thoughts into perspective, I thought I would define just a few things I feel deal with friendship.
Time: Friendship takes time, time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.
Trust: I feel that we all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations with. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone; without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet (Facebook comes to mind) down the road.
Acceptance: Best friends don't analyze each other; they don't have to. They accept each other with their positive and negative qualities. They may not always agree, but that’s ok!
Levels of friendship: There are different levels of friendships that are developed over time. Stages or different friendships I have seen identified are: true friends, best friends, good friends, kindred spirits, casual friends, work friends, social friends, church friends, and friendly acquaintances.
I found an interesting aspect the other day about friendship. Unlike other more formal relationships, friendships do not need to be identified by kinship, legal ties or formal social obligations. There are no ceremonies surrounding the formation of a friendship at least in my book. Rather, friendships are developed over time and once formed they should be free from expectations.
The lists of benefits that friends bring to us are many. Friends listen, encourage, give advice, help with everyday life crap, and have fun. Some friendships exchange trivia, share information in general, and simply "are there" for one another.
I am very grateful for the friendships that I have developed over my life, sadly I have lost some; and they are missed. But because I knew them, I have been changed for good! (Sorry just a little wicked – the musical from which “for good” is one of my favorite songs about friendship. Now go listen to it!)
Many people will walk in and out of our lives, but if we allow a friendship to fully develop; friends will leave footprints in our souls. They can make a difference, they can change our lives. Thank you my friends for changing my life!
So tell me your thoughts about friendship – I would love to know!
2 comments:
You have hit it right on the mark. True friends are those that love you regardless of your opinion. Those "true" friends from high school often were the fickle friends you had to weed out of your life to really find the pure friends of today, but without the others you wouldn't have appreciated the ones you treasure today. I've never taken time like you to classify them, but I met a gal in grade school and when I saw her this year she and I hugged like we had never been a part. Now that's friendship. So some can last and then others that you think will last dwindle and die in front of you like autumn leaves drenched with a good rain storm. Thanks for your great friendship.
Mom
Great post, you covered it wonderfully.
And thank you my friend for everything!
Your TX Friend
Post a Comment