I had a coffee with a really good friend of mine recently, and she has told me to keep it interesting on my blog, so I thought I had better put on a new message at least once every month to keep her interest up. I mean... my blog isn't exactly grand central station here on the web. I had better keep what interest I may have.
So let's talk about friends.
It's always a little daunting when you are meeting a friend you haven't seen in a number of years. Not sure about you, but I wonder if the connection is still there after all this time. Will you meet for coffee and discuss drab details of your life like you do around the water cooler at work... or will it be an engaging re-acquaintance with a person you once shared a lot of time with.
It's a real treat when you can meet up with someone and pick up commonalities and in depth conversation as though you haven't missed a beat. Friends like that are very hard to find. It's good when you can connect like that, and feel like no matter how long that you chat it won't be long enough to say all you want to say.
Then there is the friends who feel you owe them time... that's it's an obligation. They phone you and berate you for not phoning them. I have managed to weed those friends out of my life. With kids and a job who needs any more pressure. The only people who have a right to make demands on my time are my children and my wife... everything else is extra.
The best friends are ones who phone you when they want to... and don't hold and false pretenses... they just like spending time with you. No obligation... They don't want to talk to you if you don't feel like it and they don't get offended. They are secure that you like them and in turn you feel secure that they like you. An open honest and free friendship... those are so rare.
