Mutual affection...

I've been spending some time thinking about friends lately. More specifically I have been thinking:

-What does it mean to be a friend?

-What should friendship look like?

-How do you make friendships that last?

-Is it possible for friendship to last?

-Can you be true friends with people that hold different perspectives from your own?

I looked up the definition of the word "friend" here is what is says:

friend [frend]

noun

a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations

a person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side

a familiar or helpful thing

(often as a polite form of address or in ironic reference) an acquaintance or a stranger one comes across

Before I married, I thought that friendship came naturally to me. I did not fully understand what it meant to be "friends", though. To me, it was just great being in people's company and to know that the people I was surrounded by sought my presence in their lives because they enjoyed being with me as much I enjoyed being with them. I had no understanding of the "mutual affection" aspect of friendship. My idea of friendship was very restrained intimately and very selfish. Now that I have been married, and I have been in a relationship that is healthiest when the mutual aspect is met, I have been left thinking about the other relationships in my life. I regret not being more mutual and more selfless in my other relationships. Now that I am married I understand the beauty of having a friendship that is based on mutual affection, only now it is hard to find the time to connect with people beyond my husband.

To all of my friends out there... and hopefully you know who you are... if you don't.. then maybe we need to get together sometime soon and talk.... I apologize for not understanding what it meant to be a good friend when you were near by and in my life on a daily basis... I hope that we can move forward and invest in a mutual affection with one another.