There are different kinds of friends that fill our lives. The closeness of these friendships depends on our various needs within varied social and personal connections.

Co-workers who encourage us, neighbors who pick up our mail when we’re out of town, walking or gym buddies, and other friends enlarge our friendship community.

It isn’t surprising that some people may have more groups of friends than others. Some want more friends, others may need less. 

As the saying goes, ‘One must be a friend to make a friend.’  

Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.”

Who doesn’t want or need friends? We celebrate successes, cry, and laugh with friends.

People make friends during the many seasons of their lives: childhood and throughout elementary, middle, high school, college, and all during adulthood.

One doesn’t have to be a relationship specialist to know that personal and social friends have great value and benefits in our lives. We all need and expect the love and support of friends. The longer the friendship, the stronger the bond and need for one another.

Each group of friends meets different expectations and needs.

Some people have traveling or road buddies, carpooling groups, social posses, or other convenience connections and interactions.

It’s OK to have convenient friends who aren’t close friends.

We confide in long-time friends who are very close and are BFFs. These are friends who know us very well.

Personal friendships, BFFs, and other close relationships allow for self-disclosure, where one can be oneself without fear of judgment or rejection. Nonjudgmental and accepting friends are of a healthy relationship. Willingly and intentionally revealing things people wouldn’t otherwise know about you is a part of self-disclosure.

Healthy relationships provide respect for all parties, with each individual having space to abide by their convictions, beliefs, and values.

Self-disclosure, or being able to be oneself, is critical in a healthy friendship. Feeling comfortable with others and knowing one another’s strengths and weaknesses creates a special bond of friendship.

One’s well-being in any relationship is dependent on respect and openness.

Another expectation of friendship is trust that the personal information will not be misused or held against the individual. Sharing one’s thoughts, feelings, fears, beliefs, and other heart-held information may be confidential.

It’s common for friends to reveal secrets to one another.

A few of the many types of friendship include the following:

BFF Best Friend Forever

Neighborhood friends

Activity buddies

Work friends

Church friends

Organizational friends

After the pandemic, many discovered a deeper appreciation for those they couldn’t visit because of the fear of contracting COVID-19.

A Swedish proverb says with friends, “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.”

Friendship is a ship where friends sail together.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Thanks for being a blog-reading friend.

Be well.