Saturday, September 13, 2008

My Thoughts On Friendship

Though I would love to be able to say that have more friends than I can count, the truth is I've always been a one friend kind of girl. I've never been the kind of person who wants to go out and socialize or hang out at clubs, though I can certainly understand their appeal. I'd much rather stay at home, putter around the house or hang out with my husband and children. I've honestly never felt compelled to have friends and that doesn't mean I don't like being around people, because I do...I just never felt as though my life was lacking anything because I didn't have an abundance of friends.

I have one girlfriend, Angie, who I have known since grade four. I was the new girl in school and she allowed me to put my desk next to hers. From that point on we have been the best of friends. We have the sort of friendship where we don't have to talk all the time. She lives a few hours away, and whenever she comes to town to visit her mother, we get together. And despite the fact that we may not have talked for months, it's like we've been chatting everyday...conversation flows and as we say goodbye we try to squeeze in a few more precious words until we get to see each other again. Like any true friend, Angie has been there for me through the best of times and the worst. She was there for me during the difficult birth of my third son. She would come to the hospital like clockwork, bringing with her creams and lotion, and my favorite chocolate mint cookies. I leaned on her during those difficult weeks, and she never let me down.

Over the years Angie and I have gotten married and become mothers (her third will be arriving very shortly) and yet through it all we have always made time for one another. We have laughed at how we both like to torture our husbands, get angry over the same things, and we've watched each other succeed at some things and fail at others. She may not always agree with everything I say or do, and I'm sure there have been times where she has wondered what I was thinking, but she has never made me feel foolish. She has stood in the corner and sometimes in the background, and cheered me on nonetheless. I will forever cherish my friendship with her.

Aside from Angie, my only other friend (best friend) is my husband. Without him I wouldn't be the person I am today, have the beautiful children I have, or be as happy as I am. He grounds me and comforts me, and always encourages me to do what I want. He listens to all my crazy plans, and puts up with my moods and emotions. He has had faith in me, even when I haven't.

6 comments:

Maureen Lipinski said...

I'm a big "quality over quantity" kind of girl, too!

It's so much more important to me to have a handful of really close friendships than a ton of casual acquaintances!

Khy said...

I'm a one friend kind of girl too. *virtual high five*

Jillian Cantor said...

I know what it's like to have a best friend that you don't get to see very much, but when you do, you can pick up right where you left off.

I like what you said about your husband, too. Very sweet! And I feel the same way about mine!!

Tracy Madison said...

Lovely post, Carolyn! And even though I have a lot of excellent friends, I have that very special friendship with just a few.

And yes, I second Jillian's statement!

Carolyn McTighe said...

Thanks girls!

LOL

Lesley Livingston said...

Yup. Nothing wrong with 'few and far between' when it comes to friendships!