About Friendship

Asking yourself the following questions about your relationship :

1- Do you have at least one person nearby whom you can call on in times of personal distress?

2- Do you have several people whom you can visit with little advance warning without apology?

3- Do you have several people with whom you can share recreational activities?

4- Do you have people who will lend you money of you need it, or those who will care for you in practical ways if the need arises?

If your response is largely negative, it may be that your friendships are being impeded by your social life! Some people immerse themselves in such a whirl of parties and social affairs that there is no opportunity to establish a close relationship. The fact of the matter is that one cannot have a profound connection with more than a few people. Time prohibits it. Deep friendship requires cultivation over the years- evenings before the fire, long walks together, and lots of time for talk. It requires keeping the television off so that the two of you can log in with each other. If your social calendar is too full to provide for such intimate bonding, it should be pared. “True happiness” said Ben Johnson, “consists not in the multitude of friends, but in the worth and choice”.

Some people get a strong sense of togetherness from being in large groups of people, and I am not arguing for or against an active social life. What I am lobbying for is an ordering of priorities. Getting close to a few people is more important than being popular enough to receive 1300 Birthday whishes cards every year...

How many people send to you wishes.....on your any special day...?