My least favorite thing in the world (besides pretentiousness and bad hygiene!) is seeing people hop from bff to bff.

It sucks to think you're getting close to someone, making a lifelong friend, and then seeing them scoot to the next, more interesting person...then drop them like last year's jeans once the next person comes along. :( One of the reason I'm so glad to be away from MD is because a lot of the people I was close to there (short of a few very special people who I'm still very blessed to stay in touch with) all but forgot I existed before I moved, just because I stopped partying so much.

There are people I have literally not spoken to in a year and a half who at one point I would have thought would be a part of my daily life until the day I die. And there are people who I never thought I'd have a personal conversation with that I now rely on to keep me sane!

If I get close to someone, it's for life. I'm all or nothing, there is no lukewarm to me - once I call you a close friend, you can always count on me. If you get bored of me, so be it, but for every week or month that you ignore me, are too busy hanging out with this new friend, or ditch plans with me, or leave me out of activities with others, I will remember. It hurts, and I'll never look at you the same way again, but I will always forgive and be there the next time you have time for me.

You find out who your friends are once you get comfortable around them. Some of my fondest memories of my adolescent/teen years are the times spent just lounging around in diedre's basement, watching old movies over and over, fighting with her brother, and giggling late into the night over stupid Monty Python jokes. It's great to be able to remember those times with no fog of depression, knowing that if I called her up right this second, she'd be as loving, familiar, and comforting to talk to as ever. And of course there's Jake, who knows me inside and out and who I can always count on to be there for me every second of every day; he's never bored or tired of or irritated by me, he always is happy to have me around, and that's something I treasure more than words can ever say.

Good friendships are built on those everyday moments where you can bounce off another person like echolocation and never lose your own place in the world while forging it. It's unfortunate that so many people are only interested for the short run. I never put much stock into the idea of family as a kid, since my family was never very accepting or close-knit, but now that I'm older I can really appreciate the value of having people in my life that will always be there, and always be interested in me and what I'm doing and want to spend time with me. I guess that sounds really selfish, but that's the kind of friendship and family that I believe in building and nourishing.

I guess that's life, though. Live and learn. I have a small group of people I can depend on to be there anytime, day or night. People who have known me as a young, stupid kid, and somehow still tolerate me. People who can see past who I am on the outside and know me for our interactions, not for their assumptions about me based on hearsay. And I'm incredibly grateful for all of them. <3 You know who you are. Thank you for being there for me. I love you. <3