True Friends

This is a hard post to write. It’s sensitive. And it’s personal.

I should caveat that this has nothing to do with any of my current friendships. It’s really more of a reflection of experiences I’ve had and what I see going on in the world.

It’s hard to make friends. True friends. People who get you and who you get. People who don’t annoy you or make you feel badly about yourself. Looking back, the friendships I had in my teens felt forced and not genuine. Options were limited so you found people but they weren’t necessarily the ones who were going to be there throughout your life. I knew it then but there wasn’t much to do about it.

I see it in teenage relationships now. And I try to explain how, when you’re young, everyone tried to fit in. And when you’re older, you do what you can to stand out. It’s funny that way. And in both times, true friendships are hard to find. And when you do find them, they take nurturing.

Now that I’m older, I find it even harder to make true friends. It’s easier to appreciate and accept differences but hard to find true connections. People are cemented in who they are and the values they believe in. People have different activities but also different agendas.

I look back to the early days of childhood when differences are overlooked and unimportant. When no one has an agenda. When it’s okay to fall and get up without embarrassment. When friends are friends just because. These are the days I long for and the relationships I hope to keep. Loyalty is key for me. And I need it to be key for my friends as well.

True Friends was provided courtesy of a guest writer for Chasing Summer.