Growth

"A man's growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends"~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now of course people reading this may have a completely different take on this quote than I do, and I welcome the comments and discourse. 

I feel like this quote is talking about the successive (meaning progression or following an order) friendships.  As you grow up, you develop different kinds of relationships.  As a child, I always gravitated towards the friends that I had common interests with.  Like pretty much all other kids, I spent my days playing games and pretending.  I wanted a friend that could keep up with me when it came to pretending because I couldn't stand to be bored. 

As I got older, I developed friendships that were more of convenience and sometimes even because we were both outcasts.  As a child that was often bullied, I would become friends with the other kids that weren't quite part of the group.  Of course that sounds very sad, but I believe that since friendships didn't come easily to me and people didn't use me for anything, I feel like I have a greater appreciation for people.  Now of course, I sometimes have problems thinking that someone would use me for anything because I still have a tendency to think that I don't have anything that anyone wants or could use.  That comes back to me needing to evaluate more before devoting myself to someone.

As a college student, I spent a lot of time drinking and making friends over a pint or shots.  I believe that only a few true/close friends followed me out of college.  Those people have seen the best and the worst of me. 

And now, as an adult, and even more recently, like the last two years, I have found that I am seeking out more meaningful relationships.  I no longer crave the quantity but the quality.  I crave the ability to call my best friend up and have a REAL, honest conversation with her and know that she won't hate me or judge me for my words. 

I am supremely grateful for the lovely people that I call my friends.  There are 7 that I can truly call on if I needed something, and its a wonderful feeling to have.  They may not always be my favorite people because they make me hear the hard truths that I may not see or I overlook, but they will always be honest and loving.  You know who you are and I love you for it!