Friendship...

I read something today that caused me to pause and reflect on my friends. More specifically, what qualifies them, and perhaps more importantly what qualifies me, to be friends.

I expect a great deal from myself when I am someone's friend. I do not befriend someone haphazardly. It is too important to me and to them, and so I am very demanding of myself. And yet it is not a perfect system. I am friendly to almost everyone, and try and be polite and considerate towards them. However, I will not "stand in the breach" for just anyone. That privelage is earned.

It is not so much that I need to feel important or special about who I am friends with. It is more that as I grew up, I dealt with "friends" that were not, and suffered greatly for my mistakes. As such, I do not give it lightly, as I do not want it taken lightly.

Dana is my first, best friend. For her there is no limit to what I will do for her...none. Yes to those who ask, I would..for her..always..any sacrifice.

There are a few others to whom I have said "any time, any place, anything" and meant it. They know who they are..in fact one or two of them might read this. And for that matter, in general, their friends are mine, and that offer usually extends to them.

Next there are people to be nice to. I will always try and be nice to them. There are many people here, but few of them are friends.

Lastly, and there are very few here, are those people to whom I am not nice. I do not want to write about them.

I hold my friends close, and they are important to me. I think I may need to write more about this, after I have wrestled with my soul on this a little more, and gotten over the hurt I felt a friend write about.

Mustang