As you get older, your priorities may change, you may have less in common with your friends and you may be living in different states or countries but that’s no reason to neglect the friendship. There are the five friends you should hold onto.
The extrovert
The extrovert or the party animal as they are more commonly known is the friend you turn to when you want to hit the latest bar, go to the beach or away on holidays. They may not be the first person you call in a crisis, when you’ve broken up with your boyfriend or you want to vent about the office bully but you can rely on them when you need a plus one for a fun party, go away on holiday or want to have mindless fun without any of the hassles.
The know it all
This friend is your go to pal if you want to organise a party, cook a difficult recipe, need home hardware tips or want to find the easiest way to travel to an unknown destination. If they don’t know themselves, they know who to call, what websites to look at or know a friend of a friend. This person is connected to a huge network of resources that they are willing to share with you.
The introvert
The introvert may not want to tag along to a party or go out to a bar but they are always available for a night in, having a DVD night, watching or a movie or going out for a quiet dinner. They are great listeners, love cultural activities like going to museums and having conversations about books or foreign films. This person is often the rock in a friendship and the first person you call when you break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, a loved one has passed away or when you want to share happy news about your life.
The motivator
This friend will always support your crazy stunts and when everyone says no, they will be at your side cheering you on and supporting you from the sidelines. This friend always sees the glass as half full and their optimistic nature and cheery outlook can’t help but rub off on others around them. They are always learning new things, going to courses or reading books and happy to share their new found knowledge with others.
The word of reason
When you want an honest opinion, this friend tells you how it is and doesn’t hold back. You may not want to hear their advice at the time but with greater reflection, you’ll realise that they may be right, it’s given you another point of view to think about or made you think about things from another angle. We all look for friends who validate us and share the same opinions but having friends who can offer us alternative opinions, a new perspective and make us think about the world in an entirely different way can make us grow and develop as people.
Friendships can boost your self esteem, give you a sense of fulfilment and happiness, add a sense of meaning to your life and give you a sense of self worth. Our first friends are the ones we know from family or around our neighbourhood but when these friends move, there is no reason for it to end.
Email, social networking sites like Facebook, and VoIP telephone calls like Skype have all made it easier and cheaper to stay in touch.