A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are grateful.
- William Arthur Ward

Throughout my three decades on this planet, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some incredible people. I can still remember who my best friend was in the first grade (kindergarten was in iffy year ), so little things leave a lasting impression with me. No two friends that I made during childhood were the same in terms of background, family or interests. I simply wanted someone who could keep up with my on the monkey bars – I could have competed professionally ’cause I was that good

Then of course as I got older, my friends looked more like me and we had a lot more in common. The funny thing was that didn’t necessarily make me more comfortable. Even though my older sister helped break down some barriers, my family was still very traditional. This meant that I couldn’t go out on dates or go out and simply be home by curfew. Everything that I did had to be pre-approved by the Family Council of 5 uncles and then approved by the Grand Poobah, otherwise known as my mother. Sometimes I didn’t even bother asking for permission to do things just to avoid the pomp and circumstance. So, this could sometimes make for uncomfortable situations with friends who didn’t understand that I really did want to hang out – it just wasn’t gonna happen.

Then I started to become the person who chose the road less traveled, so that took me away from familiar people and I had no choice but to try and make new friends. I soon realized that friendships are like romantic relationships, you have to work to maintain them or else they end. I may have learned the lesson after letting a few fantastic people walk out of my life, but it definitely stuck. Now that I’ve chosen to live like a gypsy, my friendships are what keep me tethered to some semblance of normalcy. It would be so easy to fall out of touch with the people who I’ve gotten to know and love, but I don’t know where I would be without them.

These are the people who may not hear from me every day, but know that they are always in my thoughts. These are the people who know that after a two-month hiatus, I will call them and continue the conversation we were having the last time we spoke as if no time has elapsed. These are the people who when I tell them about my next adventure will not laugh or think I’m crazy, but instead start telling me all the things they are going to do to help make it happen. Yes, amazing people they are, indeed.

So, to all my peeps past and present, here’s to you!

Tags: Expatriates, Friendship, Living Abroad, Maintaining Friendships while abroad, Quotes by Arthur Ward

This entry was posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 8:00 AM and is filed under Words to Live by Mondays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.