Friends
...are undoubtedly one of my favorite gifts in life.
There are two people right now that I consider very best friends. They are nothing alike, yet I love them for the same reasons. They are genuine, loving, fun, very alive, spontaneous, have nary a pretentious bone in either body, and I enjoy every single moment spent around them. They make fun times all the more excellent when they are around. I can talk to either of them every day for three months, and then not again for six months, and we'll pick up right where we left off effortlessly.
One of them is originally from a very far away country, and has lived in the US for roughly 15 or so years. She got married last weekend. It was a brilliant affair.
And now to my point.... The American lifestyle impacts our friendships in ways I didn't realize. But I learned this at the wedding, and the few nights of celebratory events leading up to the wedding. And it's got me thinking.
Many people came from Europe for this wedding. Amazing, beautiful, people. They wore traditional clothing to the ceremony, mostly if not all handmade. The majority of them were not family members of my friend's. Rather, they were friends.
There are reasons this amazes me, and I've come to realize that this amazement I feel is a result of being very American.
Two of the bridesmaids were childhood pals of my friend. Now I mentioned my friend has lived here in America for a good 15+ years. How many people have you been in sporadic contact with who live on continents oceans away from yours who you would travel the globe to see? Even for a wedding? And it gets better. One of them moved away from their original neighborhood at the tender age of seven. Seven! And here she is at 35, 28 years later, wearing a bridesmaid dress. That is certainly a friend indeed.
There is not a single person from age 7 or even age 16 who moved and I still talk to regularly. In fact, there are literally no people I graduated high school with that I still talk to regularly.
And here's why I think being part of the American lifestyle influences us. People who come from where my friend was born? Family and friends are way more important than work. One of them has twelve weeks vacation a year.
And she probably talks to our mutural friend more than I do. My friend and I live roughly five miles apart. That doesn't even involve interfering time zone differences or plane rides.
I think we should all try for better balance in life. Interestingly enough, while I was pondering this earlier, I came across a quize on CNN.com about having balance in your life. Of course, I failed it miserably. I'll work on this.
There are two people right now that I consider very best friends. They are nothing alike, yet I love them for the same reasons. They are genuine, loving, fun, very alive, spontaneous, have nary a pretentious bone in either body, and I enjoy every single moment spent around them. They make fun times all the more excellent when they are around. I can talk to either of them every day for three months, and then not again for six months, and we'll pick up right where we left off effortlessly.
One of them is originally from a very far away country, and has lived in the US for roughly 15 or so years. She got married last weekend. It was a brilliant affair.
And now to my point.... The American lifestyle impacts our friendships in ways I didn't realize. But I learned this at the wedding, and the few nights of celebratory events leading up to the wedding. And it's got me thinking.
Many people came from Europe for this wedding. Amazing, beautiful, people. They wore traditional clothing to the ceremony, mostly if not all handmade. The majority of them were not family members of my friend's. Rather, they were friends.
There are reasons this amazes me, and I've come to realize that this amazement I feel is a result of being very American.
Two of the bridesmaids were childhood pals of my friend. Now I mentioned my friend has lived here in America for a good 15+ years. How many people have you been in sporadic contact with who live on continents oceans away from yours who you would travel the globe to see? Even for a wedding? And it gets better. One of them moved away from their original neighborhood at the tender age of seven. Seven! And here she is at 35, 28 years later, wearing a bridesmaid dress. That is certainly a friend indeed.
There is not a single person from age 7 or even age 16 who moved and I still talk to regularly. In fact, there are literally no people I graduated high school with that I still talk to regularly.
And here's why I think being part of the American lifestyle influences us. People who come from where my friend was born? Family and friends are way more important than work. One of them has twelve weeks vacation a year.
And she probably talks to our mutural friend more than I do. My friend and I live roughly five miles apart. That doesn't even involve interfering time zone differences or plane rides.
I think we should all try for better balance in life. Interestingly enough, while I was pondering this earlier, I came across a quize on CNN.com about having balance in your life. Of course, I failed it miserably. I'll work on this.
articulated by the bold espresso bean at 3:32 PM
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