Friends

Having good friends is very important to my well-being, even if I have a tendency to be anti-social at times. I’m naturally introverted, so I don’t find it very easy to make friends, but I really enjoy the time I do spend with my friends.

A couple of years ago, I found myself in a situation where almost all my friends had married and had mortgages and children and our regular social activities had pretty much ground to a halt. My best friend was in a different country and I felt quite lonely. I put a real effort into making friends with some colleagues of mine, organising social activities and spending time together. Although I now count these two amongst my good friends, at the time, it really made me appreciate my old friends.

With my old friends, we had a history together. We’d known each other for more than 5 years, and we all knew each other’s characters and backgrounds, likes, dislikes and general opinions. This makes it very easy to have great conversations, because you don’t spend a lot of time explaining a lot of backstory. We’re also very comfortable with each other, and don’t have to hesitate about voicing an opinion or sharing a story.

I still need to make more friends, but I have to remember to make more time to spend with the friends I already have.