Friends

One definite plus of being away from the place I've called home for the past 8+ years is the opportunity to see which friendships stand the test of time... and distance. The people I spent a lot of time with in New Zealand, are they still people I want to spend time with, talk to, stay in touch with, while I'm over here?

There are some friends I catch up with a few times a week. We talk, even if all we talk about is something completely random. We make the effort to stay in touch, and while I can't speak for their motivations for staying in touch, I know why I do. I care about them, I want to know how they are, what's going on in their heads, in their lives. Talking to them makes my day better, makes me happier.

There are friends I only talk to once a month. Some of them good friends. While at home I'd see them two or three times a week, we don't have as much to talk about these days as we did then. Talking to them less doesn't mean I care about them less, however.

There are others I've only talked to once or twice in the six months I've been over here. They were a part of my life when we lived in the same area, and while they may become part of my life again were I to move back, they are not an important part of my life right now. I care about them and would be very upset if something happened to them, however as long as I know they're okay then that's enough for me.

It's funny how being overseas has really shown me who I want to make an effort for and who I'm not all that fussed about. Most of the people I stay in touch with were people I expected to stay in touch with. Some aren't, and I think that not expecting to be in touch with them makes talking to them extra special. They make the effort to talk to me, to get online and spend time with me, telling me about their lives, asking me about mine. I'm getting to know them better because I'm away from them , while I quite possibly would have missed out on that chance back home.

I miss all of my friends. The ones I talk to a lot as well as the ones I barely talk to at all.

It's just that some of them I miss every day and think about every day, and others I only miss on occasion. I guess that shows what kind of friends they were - friends for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I value all of them, I guess I just value some of them in different ways than others.

So, to all my friends - be you reason, season or lifetime friends - thank you for being in my life and for being someone I am proud to (have called) call a friend!