Friendship Day, Week Thirty-One in the New Abnormal

I’m writing this on International Friendship Day. It has me thinking of past friends, some gone by mutual consent, some, as the wonderful Claudia Shear put it, are ‘location specific’, and some died too young. The rest still bring me laughs, tears, and meaningful moments either with posts, texts, emails, or on a rare visit.

I have hurt friends in the past. I wasn’t always trustworthy. I wasn’t always able to set limits until it was too late. Or I just didn’t understand when to speak and when to keep quiet. I have run into previous friends who I must have upset because, though I have been happy to see them, they don’t share that sentiment. I may not know the specifics of their interpretation of events, but I recall not really understanding how to relate to others.

However, the friends who stuck by me, the ones who forgave me, or who didn’t feel upset by my actions taught me so much about friendship. They taught me about the imperfect, human connectedness that is key when relating to others. They…