I have friends ... I think.

I think I’m a pretty nice person. I get along with most people I meet. There are some people who I like more than others; but for the most part, I like most people.

Most people like me too. I’m a friendly person, who tries not to judge people, will help where I can, and tries to fit in (when it doesn’t require too much effort). I share my toys, try to play nice with others, and usually mind my own business. Yeah, people generally like me. That is, until they piss me off. Then I have to be a mean bitch. Then they don’t like me anymore. But that’s usually okay because by the time I have to be a bitch, I don’t like them either. (That’s another blog story, which I look forward to writing sometime in the future.)

"To me, a true friend can go long periods of time without speaking and never question their friendship." (I found that on Facebook, but I would have said it myself anyway.)

Any relationship is already tough enough to sustain, so high expectations usually cause a friendship to eventually dissolve. A true friend never judges me simply because I don’t always have the same interests they do nor do they have any expectations for me to be like them. They know when to tell me the harsh truth, and they know when to button up and listen. They accept me for who I am, no matter what. They look at my weaknesses as endearing and my strengths as amazing. My friends are very special to me, and vice versa.

I don’t surround myself with a large number of friends. I don’t use the word “friend” very lightly, so I don’t have a lot of friends, by virtue of my own definition. There are people who have LOTS of friends, hundreds of friends; every person they meet becomes their friend. It’s not that I don’t have any friends. I just reserve that label for a few special people.

To be fair, maybe I can break friendship up into categories, as they relate to me:

• Family - My largest most precious group of friends. We do not necessarily have everything in common, although as we get older, we seem to be having more fun together. But we are family, and there is a bond that is unexplainable. They are a lot of fun to be around, and people want to be us.


• BFF's - These people are caring, generous, smart, and funny. They always seem to agree with me, even if they don't agree with me. But that's when I'm saying I'm fat, they say I'm not. So, I guess a BFF gets to lie to me sometimes and still be my friend. I have only a few friends in this category, and I am very lucky to have them.
  


• Co-workers - I don't often mix co-workers into my personal life, since I have to spend 5 days/week with them. But there are some people (you know who you are) who I have work in common with, can talk shop in a fun way, and are just plain fun to be around. We have a mutual respect for each other, and I enjoy their company.


• Old College Pals - We meet once a year (or so) for lunch or dinner. There are no expectations or reprimands. We simply enjoy each other"s company, catch up on our lives, and reminisce about the good old days.

• Other Categories - There are peeps who are just plain good friends, who I've known through past jobs, business ventures, casual acquaintances ... which have grown into some pretty good friendships. They stick with me, stay in consistent contact, and always have a friendly word. They are so special to me.
  

Gee, I guess I have more friends than I thought. That makes me a very blessed person.