79 (Some Thoughts on Friendship)

I had a some unanticipated extra time today. Stayed home sick from work; darn stomach bug. But I would like to share a little nugget of wisdom I came across.

Lesson of the day: Don’t share your physical ailments with a self-proclaimed Hypochondriac. In their infinite wisdom, they will diagnose your stomach ache as possible appendicitis, and though you know better, ya can’t helped but be a little freaked out.

It’s nothing serious. I just haven’t been digesting well the past 48 hours or so. I suspect it has something to do with stubbornly continuing to eat questionable leftovers from Monday’s potluck. Either way, as of a few hours ago, the food is finally gone though I still reap the rewards punishment.

But that’s neither here nor there. More for my sake than anyone else’s, I thought this would be a great opportunity to jot down some of my thoughts on friendship. See, I actually don’t think everyone interacts with others the same. I believe how one values and approaches friendships vary wildly depending on their personality and circumstances.

An example of friends: If everyone is annoyingly attractive. And Caucasian.

As for myself, I find that I vastly appreciate my friendships that are deep, but low maintenance. Ones that I wholeheartedly trust the other individual to have my back and care for me, but doesn’t need constant attention and nurturing. We know that we are important to one another, very much enjoy each other’s company, but can easily pick up where we leave off if life takes us in different directions. I have a number of people like these in my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful for them. A sentiment I knowingly do not express nearly enough.

I also understand that there are seasons in life. Sometimes, folks just aren’t meant to be ever-present through it all. Best Friends Forever are really Best Friends For Now. And you know what? I’m OK with that. Because who we are today may work beautifully, but that’s not to say our future selves won’t end up on opposite sides of the fence (one of my favorite films, 친구 (Friend), is a perfect, if over dramatized, example of that). It doesn’t take away from what we have, it just respectfully acknowledges that we’ve grown apart.

But regardless of it all, I find that the people I truly consider friends are those that I have shared fellowship with; those that share the same beliefs, Hope, and Love as I do. I mean, it’s only natural to gravitate towards those that value and cherish the same things as us, no? And despite our differences in opinions in the various nuances of our Faith, we collectively believe that ultimately we are able to Love because He first Loved us. And so at the end of the day, I just come away thankful – thankful for the community and support that I have in forms both old and new.

However, I’m also beginning to understand that there’s more to it than this. We aren’t meant to be selfish with that Love. But that’s a whole other topic to get into. So for right now, allow me to say that I’m simply thankful.