Your friends, then and now?
 

I am currently 42 years old. When I was young (teens and early 20's) my circle of friends was large. Seems when we are in high school and or college we make more friends than in any other time of our lives. But as I have got older my friends list has shrunk. Friends drift apart for a number of reasons. They move away, focus on career and family becomes a priority, common interests change, political views, ect, ect.

Anyone else notice this? Or how much harder it is to find people with the same interest and become friends after about age 30?

Natural phenomena.

In HS, your friends were your social circle. Family (parents and siblings) becomes less important.

As we age, our family, (spouse and children) and to a lesser extent coworkers become our social circle.

When you retire, you will find that your group of friends becomes even smaller, as children move away, and even access to grandchildren is often limited.

Your social circle is spouse, and a very small number of very close friends, at clubs or church.

Probably why so many retired folks get heavily involved volunteer activity, and politics.

Sad, but natural, I guess.

Does not have to be 30, I'm 24, the second one in the group of my friends to marry, start a family lalala. I however, have a career that demands a crazy amount of time. After all this began, I saw just who I could consider true friends anymore, as far as keeping some communication.

I have done my part, be it through phone calls, text messages, social media, or house visits when I'm home. Some connections drift away, it seems to just happen. I still have a couple friends I see every time I am home, and some that I see around hunting seasons, as we get together then.

It is hard, with us being in our young to mid 20's with jobs and some of us starting families. It will be different as I am moving towns this summer, yet only 60 some miles away, I feel it will strain what little ties I have left.

Define "friends"

I am not talking about cyber cronies or facebook friends.

I'm talking about someone you can turn to in a crisis. Someone you trust. Someone you do things with on a regular basis. Someone you could talk to in the case of a divorce or the loss of a loved one.

Today I can count my "friends" on one hand. All the rest are acquaintances and such. But true friends? One handful.

That many? Excluding SWMBO, maybe two.

8 and considering how many people I know , that's not many.!


Define Friends:-Some one I could tell anything to or that would cover my butt in a crisis.....! :) And , they could expect the same from me......! ;)

An old feller once told me that a good friend is someone that you can call on for help at any time, and he can call on you at any time, and the rest of the time you leave each other alone and mind your own damned business.

Not saying I agree with that. But it sure made me think!:confused::confused:

Using your definition I have no friends.