Love, Part 5

In this fifth installment of “Love” the series, I will be concentrating on friendship but before I begin I would like to define, at least for purposes of this article, what that means. It is the deep affection and tenderness shared between two (or more) individuals not related by bloodline or romantic involvement. I acknowledge that you can and, hopefully, are friends with the person you are romantically involved with and other individuals within your bloodline (e.g., siblings, cousins, grandparents, etc) but that is not the focus of today’s topic. The love shared between friends flows side-by-side like two vertical lines running parallel to one another. They share many commonalities but do not intersect. It is the desire of the parties “to be in relationship” that makes this love unique and special. I would ask that you do not confuse this with your social network “friends.” I am referring to those individuals very near and dear to your heart. Generally speaking, connections on a social network are better classified as acquaintances. I personally have yet to meet an individual who has the capacity, in time or emotion, to maintain a true friendship with 500+ individuals. Let’s be honest, that is a human impossibility. I apologize for digressing but thought the clarification was needed (for some). On-topic: This is the first “love” we begin exploring outside our family unit where choice begins. When I was younger I referred to everyone I met as “my friend” but as I have grown older I am more discriminative with the use of the word. I have a lot of personal acquaintances or those individuals that I sporadically share time with. I truly like these people, enjoy their company, and look forward to the occasional lunch or “run-in” with them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is healthy. Humans need interaction with one-another and personal acquaintances are an important component to fulfilling that need. My friends, however, are those selective few with whom I share my secrets, tears, and laughter. They are my “selected” family. I trust them completely. I could not, actually refuse to, imagine my life without them. I draw upon each of them, individually and collectively, for strength and guidance. I am thankful for my friends and I hope that the relationships we have built (yes… I must stress, yet again, work is involved) endure a lifetime. To those dear friends whose line no longer runs parallel to mine, I wish them all the best, renounce regret, and cherish the memories.