Just a thought

Everybody makes friends, when you're younger you make a ton of them. When you get older it becomes a little harder. People grow in their ways and separate themselves from those they deem "un-friendable." Slowly you start to weed out the friends you have. Friendships grow and some die, but there is always one there.

Eventually as a person grows up they start to realize that some friends are just mere acquaintances, others aren't even that. And, there are levels to this friendship thing... you have your Best Friend(s), your close friends, your friends, acquaintances, random individuals you may meet or depend on, and former friends.

A best friend is at the top of the list, generally this is reserved for a single person that you can confide in, know virtually everything about between each other, can often know the other persons thoughts, and, while they get along perfectly well, they accept that the other one is a unique individual who has their own opinions and tastes that differ from your own. I have found that a person can have a maximum of 2 best friends, and these two best friends don't even need to like each other (mine do), and rarely (if ever) even see each other outside of your presence. But, they understand and accept each other as an integral part of the best friend's self and well being. Best friends are rarely replaced as years grow in relationship and distance is not a factor in their friendship.

A close friend is similar to a best friend, however, they have distinct differences that make them less than a best friend. These differences are not easily recognizable and cannot be seen... unlike a best friend, close friends rarely can read the thought of each other and there are some things that they do not confide in each other, whether it be because they forgot, or just have this uncomfortable feeling that is unexplained. These friendships are hard to replace, but it is not rare that a close friend leaves the close friend status. This can happen for reasons such as growing of age and personalities or because of a change in the physical distance between the close friends. I cannot put an arbitrary number on the amount of close friends a person can have, but I have never had more than 9 or 10 tops... this seems to be about the breaking point for close friends.

A friend is much different from the first two, a friend can grow into a close friend and in rare cases a best friend, or could have previously been one of the two and the relationship has withered with time. Friends are easily distinguishable, they enjoy each others company, though it isn't something that will certainly happen. Plans can be made, broken, loosely based. Interaction can be made because of where that person works, goes to school or lives. As a person grows these friends come and go, often to be made up of memories of the past or in the making. Distance is difficult if you are simply friends, one may not make the complete effort and over time the friendship will likely end. It is not a bad ending, just one that fades to black.

Acquaintances are those people you interact with, you may meet at a bar once or twice and know each other in a way that would seem to be a friendship... neither person knows much of the past of the other and favorite colors, animals, beverage are not something that will ever been known between the two. Mary simply is the desk across from yours and you drop forms off and talk about the weather and how little Joey is doing in school.

Random Individuals are just that, people you meet and never get the chance to know.

Former friends can be made up of the first three categories, sadly they are the ones that time and distance have taken its toll on. These people often fade away or have pushed/been pushed away. Breakups happen in varying ways and it is unimportant how they happen.

Sometimes friendships downgrade with time, a childhood best friend moves away or grows a little and they simply become close friends... then another thing happens to them, maybe more distance and they are just friends. After an amount of time has passed they talk less and less and somehow so much has changed between the two individuals that they are just mere acquaintances that share a laugh on AOL Instant Messenger or through Hotmail. After some time this too will fade and all that will be left is the memories you two share of grade school or highschool or college days and then it all fades to black.

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Now that all that has soaked in and you are pondering away at what friends of yours are what, just remember, I am not a duck.