Warm and fuzzy memories popping up on Facebook. Catching up with old friends. Seeing everyone post their wedding and baby pictures. Instagramming my martini (it was really good.) Sharing another photo looking out an airplane window.
We can share the mundane parts of our lives and our friends can get a little glimpse into what we do sometimes.
Unfortunately, this has led us to have hundreds of “friends”. People we probably would not even recognize if we saw them out in public.
It’s important to remember the people who are actually there for us. The people who would call us even if we disappeared from social media forever.
Maintaining relationships is especially difficult when you are rarely in the same place for more than a few months. It requires effort and a commitment to honesty. Unfortunately, it is also a two-way street. You may believe someone is a friend and it turns out they may just be a “friend.”
It’s funny how many different meanings the word friend has.
- super close friends that are really more like family
- good friends who know some of your secrets
- occasional good time friends who are good for an entertaining evening
- friends you love to hate
- friends you stalk on social media
- friends you can’t seem to get away from
- friends who used to be friends but you have grown apart
- friends from work
- friends of friends who you call friend because it’s just easier than explaining the connection
- people you like and want to befriend
Are we completely devaluing the word friend? How do you separate each person’s role in your life? Does it matter?
Probably not.
Just make sure you let the people who mean something to you know. Don’t drop off the face of the earth. Be present and available when they need you.
Don’t keep your enemies closer than your friends- you may just lose the ones you really love.
The Accidental Boxer 