friends

While driving to work today, I was thinking about different kinds of friends.

In a somewhat unparticular order, but a little bit particular:

Work friends: this is different than colleagues. Colleagues refers to everybody, work friends are those people you always chitchat with at work, but would be unlikely to hang out with anywhere else. This idea can extend further, for instance, coffee shop friends and gym friends, though perhaps to a lesser degree, as you might spend less time in those places (unless you are like me, and spend many hours per week at the gym!)

Old friends: Friends from previous times in your life. I generally keep in touch with these people via Facebook, as I have moved quite a few times in my life. Many old friends might be great friends if we lived in the same city, others are from a time and place in the past and would not be so close even if the distance didn’t exist.

Old friends are slightly different than College friends, though there is a fair degree of overlap. It just depends on when we met.

Lunch friends: Often these are work friends who you are trying to become better friends with. You meet for lunch, or perhaps coffee, OUTSIDE of work. (For me, most people start as work friends—when you work in a million different places, you meet a lot of people!)

Occasional friends: People who are busy but when you get together you have a great time. Maybe you only see them a couple times a year…and neither of you makes enough effort to get together more often. Perhaps you were good friends at one time, perhaps you were only lunch friends or work friends.

Good friends: These are people that you see weekly, or at least try to. You share quite a bit about yourself. You meet for drinks or dinner, or have them over to your place. You know when they go on vacation, you might even take care of their pet.

Best friends: People that you can call any time, for any reason. That you don’t have to clean your house for. Because you are no longer trying to impress or fake it for them, you are simply you and they are your friend despite that.

Parting thoughts: the older I get, the harder it is to make new friends. After I first moved to St. Louis, I would be exhausted from trying to get to know people and let them get to know me. It really is a lot of effort! I figure we’ll end up moving again as soon as I have a few really good friends.

That’s sad, isn’t it? I didn’t mean it to be. Just thinking out loud here! GOOD DAY!