My history of friendships up until now seems to follow a similar path to Sofia's. I was quite shy and willing to be friends with anyone who approached me up until middle school, where I met about one half of the people who are my closest friends now. They are, at least, the people I spend the most time with. We do, however, suffer from the same thing that Sofia mentioned: we don't have all that much to talk about. I might call my middle school friends my best friends, but they really aren't the people I have the most in common with. We play video games, we watch movies, we occasionally party, we have fun. But there are a lot of times where I find we don't talk much, and it's not in a "we each other well, we don't have to talk" way like Elise mentioned, although I've had that too. It's just... we don't have much to talk about.
That's where the other half of my closest friends come in. These are mostly people I've met since high school at my summer camp job. I should probably note that I'm much less cripplingly shy than I used to be; volunteering and then working at this summer camp along with some amazing people was a big part of the reason why. I find I'm more at ease around my camp friends, I'm more myself - or at least the self I like the most. It doesn't help that some of them, like me, are nerdier than most of my middle school friends: camp is the first non-internet place where I met fellow Joss Whedon fans, for example. We actually have things in common and I can hold a lengthy conversation with them about books, movies, whatever. Some of my fellow booksellers at my current job are turning into this as well.
Unfortunately, the people I consider closest to me from either group have either moved permanently to another city or at least gone away for university. This is only fueling my already-existing desire to leave my hometown for something a little more big and exciting. Some of these people I keep in contact with frequently, some I don't. Some I don't need to. It again has to do with what we have in common, what we have to talk about when we aren't sharing the same experiences or school or hometown. One friend I talk to at least every week. Another moved away last August; I barely spoke to him while he was away, but shortly after Christmas he came "home" to visit. He stayed at my place for over a week, and despite the fact that we hadn't really kept in touch, it was like he hadn't left at all. Maybe it depends on the people involved, I don't know. But it seems like it's difficult in some cases to connect with someone after a long absence, and sometimes you just pick up where you left off and, communication or no, the absence doesn't seem so long after all.
- Brad
PS. This post is a little wandering, I was in a hurry. @Elise: I'm finished school next week, so I'll be carrying out the challenge then, also probably with pictures. Two weeks after that is my week to choose theme (I think), so we can probably post on it then?
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