A little or a lot ? Friends that is. Do you have a lot of friends or just a few ? Personally I have just a few. One of them is my wife. For some unknown reason I don't have a lot of friends and never did. I think I'm a friendly enough person. I can be opinionated but not forcefully so. I just never considered a lot of people my friend. Acquaintances I have a ton of. I admit I'm not real good with names and faces but I remember most.
In grade school I don't recall having any special friends. That didn't come until later on in middle school. I became friends with a few guys and this core group stayed together throughout the rest of our school years. A group of four or five and that was it. I did belong with another group of friends that I would call my Church group and would hang with them too. It's a little complicated.
It all comes down to defining a friend. Friend is a convenient term to describe an individual, not related to you, that you are acquainted with. A matter of semantics I suppose. I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to that. I don't call everyone my friend. I reserve that term for " my friends." I didn't tell every girl I ever dated I loved her either, always figured that wouldn't be right. Love is a strong word, so is friend.
By calling you my friend, I have openly stated an obligation to you. To be your friend ! And that is where it gets a little sticky. How much do you owe to a friend. The first response is " nothing ". Friends neither want or expect anything from you other than your friendship. But the real deal is a lot more complicated. Real friends can communicate without speaking. That is the reason your true friends never ask you for anything,you already know. It is also the reason true friends don't ask for forgiveness, it was already given. Friends can go years without contact and resume that relationship instantly. Friendship is a very strong bond.
I'm given to be a little over dramatic at times. I can be a bit " passionate " on certain subjects. Not one to idly throw terms around and make declarations. I don't call everyone I've ever spoken too more than twice my friend. I'm not given to telling anyone, I love you, unless the feeling is genuine. Too much is implied in that statement to be used frivolously. To use that term to gain unfair advantage is a crime in my book.
Then one could ask, do you love your friends ? Of course I do. Do I tell them that ? No, it's implied. I don't want to be one of those, " I love you man " guys. Wimpy ! Old school you bet'cha. It is the way I was raised. Even I have drifted a little way from that upbringing. I will say, I love you, to persons other than my Wife. I'm pretty liberal when it come to that. That phrase wasn't used a whole lot around home when I was growing up. It is that same upbringing that taught me the value of those words however. Overuse devalues everything. It loses its' meaning and damages its' credibility.
The bottom line is I am happy with the friends I have. I am always willing to make new ones. Well, you don't make friends, you meet them, but again with the semantics. I don't think I could handle too many friends. I would constantly be worried about hurting someones feelings. Not all my friends are friends with one another. Being my friend they don't say anything bad about my other friends and I don't say anything about theirs. It is very complicated. Having a friend takes work. Patience and understanding and acceptance. I've only got so much of each and I don't want to spread it too thin. But that is just me. Others have no problem.
Take some of those Mormon guys for instance. Seven wives,38 kids and no worries. And everyone is their friend ! Just sayin'.
By calling you my friend, I have openly stated an obligation to you. To be your friend ! And that is where it gets a little sticky. How much do you owe to a friend. The first response is " nothing ". Friends neither want or expect anything from you other than your friendship. But the real deal is a lot more complicated. Real friends can communicate without speaking. That is the reason your true friends never ask you for anything,you already know. It is also the reason true friends don't ask for forgiveness, it was already given. Friends can go years without contact and resume that relationship instantly. Friendship is a very strong bond.
I'm given to be a little over dramatic at times. I can be a bit " passionate " on certain subjects. Not one to idly throw terms around and make declarations. I don't call everyone I've ever spoken too more than twice my friend. I'm not given to telling anyone, I love you, unless the feeling is genuine. Too much is implied in that statement to be used frivolously. To use that term to gain unfair advantage is a crime in my book.
Then one could ask, do you love your friends ? Of course I do. Do I tell them that ? No, it's implied. I don't want to be one of those, " I love you man " guys. Wimpy ! Old school you bet'cha. It is the way I was raised. Even I have drifted a little way from that upbringing. I will say, I love you, to persons other than my Wife. I'm pretty liberal when it come to that. That phrase wasn't used a whole lot around home when I was growing up. It is that same upbringing that taught me the value of those words however. Overuse devalues everything. It loses its' meaning and damages its' credibility.
The bottom line is I am happy with the friends I have. I am always willing to make new ones. Well, you don't make friends, you meet them, but again with the semantics. I don't think I could handle too many friends. I would constantly be worried about hurting someones feelings. Not all my friends are friends with one another. Being my friend they don't say anything bad about my other friends and I don't say anything about theirs. It is very complicated. Having a friend takes work. Patience and understanding and acceptance. I've only got so much of each and I don't want to spread it too thin. But that is just me. Others have no problem.
Take some of those Mormon guys for instance. Seven wives,38 kids and no worries. And everyone is their friend ! Just sayin'.
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