I have a second deep thought of the night, which I was going to include with my first one, but it got a little long. Also I thought I would include a disclaimer letting everyone know I have been cleaning for two days and have excess energy. So in other words I am ridiculously hyper and having serious thoughts at the same time...not a good combination. Anyway I might as well get to my deep thought. This is a really deep one, might even make you feel...cough cough Sam. Anyway onward ho!
My second deep thought is all about friends. (I kind of hate myself for saying it like that. I sound like a two year old who loves pink tutus...) I have been thinking about the friends that I have quite a bit lately, mainly because most of them are far far away. They are either on missions, still in college, or live in the distant land of Utah. There are of course a few exceptions. But upon my reflections I have realized a few things. And just a heads up some of them are pretty deep. (Not gonna lie I am getting pretty wise in my old age...)
The first thing I have realized is that there are different kinds of friends. There are the kinds of friends that you make in class so you don't have to sit all alone. The friends you make in lab so you always have partner that doesn't smell funny or wink at you too much. There are the friends you made when you were three or in my case when I moved to Rigby. These friends are great. You need people you've know your whole life. People who have helped you through puberty and the awkwardness that is Junior High. But occasionally as sad as it is, these kinds of friends fade away. You chose different paths and find that although your paths may cross there is less to talk about. And the friendship becomes more of a memory than a current thing. There are also the kinds of friends that don't stay forever, occasionally it doesn't end well. There are also what I have come to call superficial friends. You really like these people and enjoy spending time with them and doing crazy activities, but they don't really know you. You don't tell them what's going on in life and you don't ask.
While there are so many different kinds of friends I have realized that it is necessary in life to have them. You need all those different kinds. You need the friends that need you more than you need them and heaven knows you need a friend in class to cover for you when you miss the notes. All of these kinds of friends shape and make you who you are. And hopefully you help to shape them. You even need the friends that don't stay. The friendships may be gone, but the memories will always be there. I think it's better to concentrate on those memories than on the fact that the friendship fell apart. There is something to be learned from all of your friends. Even if they are far away in a foreign country only communicating with you through letters. You might not be as close as you once were, but there was a time when they meant the world to you and helped you through a lot. Instead of focusing on the negative we instead need to simply remember the good times and let ourselves smile about it.
Last but not least there is one more group of friends that I have yet to talk about. I think this is the most important group to have. These are the kinds of friends that you can talk to. And I mean really talk to. You can tell them your random deep thoughts and the problems in your life and not feel weird about it. You can sit up late into the night talking about the gospel and take turns sharing devotionals. I didn't realize until recently that it takes a special kind of friend to do those things. Especially when you can go from one minute of being deep and spiritual to harassing each other. There was a time when I didn't believe these kinds of friends were necessary. In my deep thinking time I have realized that they are. You need an outlet. A way to share your fears or troubles without totally losing it. That's what these friends are for. Most importantly you need a friend who can look you in eye and tell you to shape up. To push you work harder, try your best, and be the best person you can be. You need a couple people who can tell what your really thinking and get you to talk about it. Friends who don't take no for an answer and make you share what's really going on.
I have gone for quite sometime without friends like the last group I described. Not because of anyone else, but me. I have never felt comfortable enough to share those kind of things. And then all of the sudden I tried and I realized that you need it. Friends are a necessary thing. I know that the friends I have now, the ones that I'm talking about aren't always going to be there. We are all starting to take our own little journeys and some of them will lead us far away. But there is one last difference in this type of friend. Even years after being apart you can see them and you can start a conversation with them. It might start out awkward, but all it takes is one laugh one memory to make it feel like things never changed. These are the kinds of friends you stay in contact with and look for in the eternities. These are the friends that help when you're at your lowest. These are the friends that have truly touched you inside and changed the path you were on for the better. These are the friends that helped prepare me for my mission and helped me be the person I am. These are the kinds of friends I am most thankful for.
No comments:
Post a Comment