13 May 2020

How did you make the connection with your friends? Where did you meet, and how did you go from strangers to friends?

A lot of my friends have become friends through a connection with my kids – whether through Mum’s groups for newborns, school connections, sport and so forth. And it’s usually come about initially through a common connection within that group (mums of large babies commiserating with each other, connections over kids names, animals, etc) and then expanded to people with a similar sense of humour, a similar outlook on life, etc.

I have friends from living in remote areas, overseas, sporting clubs, churches, special interest groups, workplaces, coffee shops, and dog parks. And friends of friends become friends very easily too!

Basically my friends are people who make me smile.

Not always, of course – sometimes friends are hard work, but good friends are ones that it’s worth putting the extra work into.

Of course, there’s two sides to every story, and this is no exception. What is it about YOU that makes you a valuable friend for someone?

Obviously I’m a very modest and unassuming person, and can only assume that my sparkling wit and personality is what keeps my friends from running screaming for the hills.

And my third question for the day (have you lost track??? #1 how did you make the connection with the friends you have, and #2 what makes you worth keeping as a friend) is…

What constitutes a friend vs a good/best friend?

A friend to me is anyone I’ve met more than once (and remembered!). Unless they’ve willingly caused pain to me or my loved ones, they’re a potential friend. There’s a whole essay on forgiveness and stuff there, but I have a brunch date with a friend soon so I can’t get sidetracked.

A friend can be a very loose connection. It can survive decades of no contact. It can survive vast distances between you. It can survive minor disagreements and be resuscitated fairly easily – maybe by coffee and a chat, or a message or a smiley face.

Good/best friends have all of the above, but they generally feature more contact time. They know a lot more about you and your family and your quirks, but they like you anyway.

I’m blessed with a lot of people I consider to be good friends, and I am extremely grateful for their place in my life.