Prompt: Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
Okay, so I am a bit late on this one. I procrastinated because I didn’t have a good response.
I have had to make new friends many times in my life, because I have moved several times, and because my friends tend to move as well. One of these days I will be somewhere more permanently…perhaps I am even there now and just don’t know it. But until then I will continue to make new friends, and struggle to keep in touch with old friends. Facebook is a great help for keeping in touch with old friends—both acquaintances and the sort of friend who, if you end up in the same city with them for a few hours, you can pick up exactly where you left off and have a fantastic time with them.
It’s harder to make friends the older I get. Sometimes I just don’t want to make the effort to get to know new people and to let them get to know me…other times I meet people who I know would be great friends, but they already have a bunch of friends. And then many people have children and don’t have time for friends, or have nothing in common with us non-child-bearing folk.
How has a friend changed me or my perspective on the world this year? One of my new friends loves to try new restaurants—that is always fun. Other friends encourage me to take classes such as pottery, yoga, or spinning. I guess if I had to sum it up, my friends tend to encourage me to get out of the house and try new things…Chris and I are creatures of habit, especially if left to our own devices, so it’s good to have friends who push you out of your comfort zone.
Change is a gradual thing—though showing up to a new class or restaurant is a sudden burst—but personal growth is gradual. I love having a wide variety of friends with different interests and strengths, and I know they will continue to push me to grow as a person.