Writer's Island - Friendship

~ written for Writer's Island

So the leader of Writer's Island tosses out "Friendship" as the word of the week. Does he realize that novels, I mean EPIC novels could be written on this topic and that there are at least a dozen different paths I could take with this prompt? First let me say this, ironically enough I too just finished reading "The Kite Runner" this week. I was blown away by it. It wasn't just good in my opinion it was fantastic. OK that said, back to Friendship.

Ask any one of my friends I am a social person. I can talk to anyone anytime and it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to be in an elevator with someone and not say something to them. That said sociability does not necessarily equal a lot of friendships.

I have not maintained contact with a single person from elementary, high school, or college. WOW right. That is not to say I did not have friends during those times. I had a best friend from early in elementary school through high school we were inseparable. I was not in the popular crowd and that was OK with me, or at least that is what I told myself at the time, WE were friends. College led us separate ways and well I know she lives a few towns over but I have no desire to revisit the old days.

College was a mash of various groups of friends, some of who did not get along with each other and in hindsight I often found myself feeling more tense at times than necessary. My first major friendship heartache did not come until my senior year of college when my roommate broke up with her long distance boyfriend and my (male) friend who I had a major crush on and she started dating behind my back. I lived with her and would pour my heart out to her over this guy and they end up dating. They are happily married now with at least one child, and yes I was in their wedding.

After college my friends consisted of the people I went out with, lived with and shared good times with. It wasn't until I was in grad school that I met someone I would call my best friend (since my elementary school friend). Kate and I were inseparable. Both out of college both trying to figure out who the hell we were and both in on again off again relationships that were usually less than stellar. We could spend days doing nothing together. We worked together waitressing and went out late into the night. I still consider her a good friend and I know if I called her at 2AM and said "I need you right now" she would come, her son in tow perhaps but she would come - even though we have not spoken in almost a year - we aren't mad at each other - life, babies, houses, jobs, and everything else just eats up our time. We are at different points in our paths. We will reconnect someday.

Where does all this leave me? It leaves me with the very best friend I have in my husband...but I can't talk girl talk with him. It leaves me with my mom who I am so incredibly happy to have a good friend now that I am grown...but there are still things you can't share there, and it leaves me with a small circle of good friends that I could tally on one hand - people I know I can count on for anything and this is OK with me. Like I said before I know a lot of people, I socialize a lot but I often think that the word friendship is applied too easily sometimes, but categorizing and leveling friendships is an entirely different post for another time.

I believe that real friendships are like reading good books, you hate to but you can stop and pause and go and do something else for awhile, and they will always be there ready to pick up right where you left off without missing a beat.


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