From our first years of life we start to bond with other people and eventually connect with what even toddlers might call friends. I personally cannot remember those early friendships, but I'm sure they consisted of who I would share my playdough with, who wanted to spend a few more minutes with me before going home (and vice versa), and many other small acts of a partnership/team/bond from way back when we were young.
As we start to hit the early teen years, friendships become more challenging- girls and boys start to form clicks which starts to exclude people; other girls start to mature more than some girls/boys and want more out of a friendship; other times teens start to have stronger emotions beyond just wanting the traditional friendly bond- they become jealous, sexual, bored, and/or more into other facets of life (school, family, future, or the opposite sex).
Next phases of friendships/relationships become much more intense/extreme/indepth as we mature and move into the next stages of our lives. I say this because friends can be roommates, friends can be lovers, friends can be husbands/wives, friends can even be family members (that would have never seemed right to a kid in those teenage years). These friendships can be so intense that they'll never last, others may last for some years but they never were meant to be, others can help both parties learn more about themselves and make each a better person. The hope is that once the juvenile time in our lives is past that these adult friendships would be solid- but that is a naive way to think... people can't know who/what/everything that is right for them if they are always figuring themselves out.
The thing that I find most amazing and comforting is that some friends last through all stages of ones life. Some people are able to balance all the mental and physical changes as they grow with the friendship that started when you were a kid. We'll never know if we have the right friends surrounding us but it definitely nice to think that if you are a good friend to the people in your life that they'll be good back to you.
Overall, I'd say being a great friend makes great people want to surround you and reciprocate.
But, how do we keep or stay in touch with these great friends of ours... I'd love to hear your thoughts, but all I can say is 2 things 1. balance and 2. always trying to be a better person/friend to others. Keep your eyes and ears open for the right people out there- who knows a new great friend might be right around the corner... but remember the great friends that have been with you through thick and thin. :)
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