This week I’ve asked all our writers (and a few guest writers) to contribute a post about “What Matters Now?” for them. The big thoughts and small actions that make a difference, when now is the time to do it. Stuff to think about and do this year. Make the change now, and reward yourself with what comes after that.
Yoyo’s up next, and her topic is FRIENDSHIP.
image credit: http://blogs.smh.com.au/
Friends.
I’ve got almost a thousand of them. I know, because my Facebook profile says so. And if you’re like me, you probably only really talk to no more than a dozen of them regularly…
See, such an important relationship has been overused and made ambiguous in modern Internet society. So much so we have no idea what it means to be a true friend, or who our real friends are anymore.
My friends are the people who bring out the best in me. That’s how I can tell who’s who.
I can count on one hand how many people fit this description. Everyone else are just people I know or people who know me.
And cliques are overrated. I’ve been in a few and trust me when I say that they are high maintenance. Some of them exist simply because they are exclusive. And keeping up appearances to fit in is not fun at all.
Us. And Them. If you’re not one of Us, you’re one of Them.
And walking out of a clique is hard, by the way. But not as hard as actually meeting new people and making friends in the first place…
Funny story.
I met Jak and Largo randomly beneath the clock at Melbourne Central a few years back. They were seated next to me while we were waiting for some people to show up, and next thing I know we’re pleasnatly chatting away. Normally I’d make my excuses and run if anybody else did that but for some reason it was really, well, comfortable. As if we wer old friends and had known each other for years. True, Jak has that harmless idiot vibe about him and Largo is, y’know, Largo…
And I found myself giving Jak my number. I remember he looked really surprised at this. But not as half surprised as I was. What the hell was I thinking?
Strangely enough, we’re still friends to this day. We share next to nothing in common with each other and our perpendicular views and opinions mean we fight a lot… Yet we’re still friends.
So why did I give him my number?
Simply, I wanted to continue our conversation.
Posted on April 28, 2010 by Jak
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