Investments of Friendships

Maintaining friendships is a lot easier when you go to the same school or see each other on a regular basis. Both of my closest friends went to different colleges than I and I quickly learned in the first year it takes a lot of investments to keep the friendship strong. My friend who went to school in Santa Cruz came home every so often, so I got to see her more than the one who moved to San Diego. When she came home from Santa Cruz, we would meet-up for lunch/dinner or hang-out. As she came home less throughout the years due to school work, it became harder to hang-out, but we definitely made an effort when she did have time. The first year that friend in San Diego went off for school, we called each other here and there. Over the years though, the phone calls have gotten scarce and I only see her about twice a year.

The concepts in the book this week certainly related to the dynamics of my friendships. I could identity elements of support, closeness, and trust. Whenever I do meet-up with my friends again, it does feel just like where we left off. Since we have known each other since high school, there is a history of trust, acceptance, and closeness. We are all understanding of the busy lives that we all lead, so we don’t get upset when we don’t keep in contact as much. I think that you build trust, acceptance, and closeness in friendships by nurturing it over time and having a positive and understanding attitude.