Friends May 10, 2010

Friends are funny creatures.

You have them.
You lose them.
You miss them.
You love them.
They drive you crazy.

But life would not be the same without them.
Without some of my closest friends I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

My friends are so diverse.
I met them at differing stages of my life and they are still in my life because of who they are.
We are all changing, but we still make time for each other.
We are slowly drifting apart – but that is all apart of life.

Friends are hard to make.
Ever meet someone for a brief moment and think – geez, I want to be friends with them?
How do you carry on from that?
Request them on facebook and hope you connect that way?
Asking them out for cocktails is a bit forward.
Hanging out where you know they will be is a bit stalkerish.
Its hard when you don’t have mutual friends.

Its kind of like dating.
But instead of finding a potential husband, you are looking for a potential friend.
Shopping partner.
Gym buddy.
Cocktail and gossip pal.
But the hurdles are still the same.
The fear is still the same.
The rejection is still the same.

How do you approach a new friend without seeming like a stalker?
Was all this easier before the invention of social networking?
Before Facebook you could go to a party and be introduced to new people.
Now you go to a party and think – where do I know this person from?
I know they are married, and they like to fish… then it clicks, you have unintentionally stalked this person on Facebook and now you feel like a creep and don’t know how to interact with them.
Don’t worry too much – chances are they already know what cocktail you are from your own Facebook page.

Is my social awkwardness showing?