Over a period of time, there is truly a fine line that gets drawn between friends and acquaintances. One fine day, the realization hits us and we are not ready to accept it either way! Are there any telltale signs that we can look out for..?
Friends are those who walk a piece of the road of life with us!
Especially friends from our childhood days are those whom we can relate to quite easily, as that friendship is pure and does not have any expectations from us.
If we are still having friends from our school or college days, cherish them! They are ones for whom we as individuals matter, not our roles or designations or our social status! They can feel happy for us, and can be non-judgmental.. (even if they turn out to be judgmental – we would not care much) as in our eyes, we know “them” and their nature / personality very well!
Can we cherish friendships over a longer period of time, when we continue to walk down our own individual paths in life! It is tough! If these friends continue to walk the path of life with us, step after step and are involved with us and the choices we make over a longer period of time in life, then yes..! When friends are meeting each other after a longer period of time, the feeling to cherish back good old times takes over, and an overwhelmingly great amount of satisfaction followed by laughter reminiscing the old days occurs.
This feeling is very precious. Hold those close who still have the power to make you smile, and even more make you laugh out loud! There are few who would make that kind of impact on us – and childhood friends circle is one powerful group who still have that kind of influence on every single one of us.
The only factor that prohibits these feelings would be if we choose to close ourselves and not share our pains or hardships along the way! No two people’s life paths are the same – everyone understands that. Everyone goes through some hardship or the other and figures out ways to deal with it, come out of it, create or become a support system. Without breaking that barrier of knowing the path one has trodden over decades, it is difficult to appreciate and let our minds sync up again. So, those who find it harder to do so realize friends have turned into acquaintances. Those who are ready to open up and listen and share, tend to realize friends are a huge support system.
What does one expect from a friend? Empathy, listening ear, non-judgmental attitude, being laughed at and having someone to laugh out aloud with, and calling a spade a spade. Hard as it may sound – that is what friends do and that is what they are good at
What does one expect from an acquaintance? Nothing. However, any act of kindness from an acquaintance gets a very special treatment!
So, when someone takes the time to bring back old friends together, think about it – are you willing to listen? are you willing to share? other than feeling no one can understand your pain or journey or where you are in life, have you given anyone a chance? Have you tried being there for someone else?
Of all the contacts on your list, I truly believe that
- If you have one friend who can be there for you when you need them – you have lived your life well!
- If you have a handful who can be there for you when you need them – you are truly blessed 🙂
- If you have friends or acquaintances who go that extra mile and will pray for you and your well-being – you know there is a purpose to your life!
So, for the telltale signs that something is changing, look for these
- Life events have occurred and you have not connected and been there with them during the same
- Extroverts have become introverts or vice-versa
- Only one person talks all the time, other person remains quiet and ends up listening all the time
- Differences in social status starts to matter more than relationships
- Ethics and integrity mean different things
- Someone else gets to stipulate who the individual should be friends with
Do you see any other telltale signs, do share them to benefit others!