No New Friends?

Me: “Where are you from?”

Person: “I’ve lived in California for 8 years, where are you from?”

Me: “Well… my parents live in South Carolina!”

Person: “I have a cousin that lives in South Carolina, or is it North Carolina!?”

Me: “Oh you have a cousin that lives in South Carolina?” I went to High School there!”

Person: “What part?”

Me: “Beaufort!”

Person: “Did you say Myrtle Beach?”

Me: “No… I said Beaufort!”

Person: “Is that close to Myrtle Beach, we went there for the summer two years ago, beautiful place, friendly people.”

Me: “Yeah Myrtle Beach is cool…”

I have never been to Myrtle Beach in my life, but this is the relative route most of my conversations have taken since my West Coast move. Awkward exchanges followed by a white lie or two, but what worthwhile and prodigious relationship hasn’t started with a simply white lie? I think you exaggerated alittle bit on your last medical exam.

Doctor: “How many drink do you have per week?”

You: “One or two, only socially though”

All the while you know full well that you blacked out 3 nights alone just in the past week, yet you and your doctor have a pretty worthwhile and prodigious relationship right?

I make “friends” everywhere I go. I never consider the happenstance meeting of the lurking serial-killer who courteously befriends me, welcomes me into his or her home and caringly beheads me after a few drinks, half way through the critically acclaimed movie, "The Lion King." My mom says I am too trusting; I don’t know though, I really like to hang out with new people and experience new things. Come on, I never know when I will befriend that one old guy, who turns out to be a multi-billionaire who decides to leave me his inheritance because he has no family. I actually enjoy people’s stories and their backgrounds. It’s amazing to meet someone coincidentally and find out that you have more in common with them than you do with your own brother! Let’s not even mention that my soul mate is out there walking around somewhere, waiting for the very next guy that looks entirely like me to ask her for the time, so she can profess her love to him.

In all honesty I have seen that there are very few people that you can call a “friend” in a lifetime. I experienced myself being on top at one point, popularity soaring to the greatest of heights. I helped those who I considered friends and I always gave that which I had. On my happenstance meeting with the unformidable events that life throws at us, I was able to experience hardships. During those times of misfortune, I had front rows seats to the unfolding of my life. I was able to see who my true friends really were. I was able to see who looked down on my as well as who looked at me as an equal. I make “friends” everywhere I go but life has taught me that my worth cannot be measured in the quantity of those who I consider to be friends but rather in the quality of the few that I consider comrades