Friends come in all Colors

It is time to leave the Travel Journal for awhile and return to just my thoughts. Today I have been thinking of friends and all the types of friends one has in their lives.

1. Best Friends
-these are the ones that know everything about me and who I am comfortable telling them everything, my joys, my hurts, my feelings.

2. Good Friends
- these are friends with whom I am comfortable sitting down, having a coffee and talking about life, but maybe not talk about things that are personal

3. Old Friends
- the ones that knew me from the time I was a child, they knew my parents and brother, they had sleep overs with me, and we giggled about boys together in the teen years. Maybe old boyfriends fall into this group too, if any are still alive.

4. Lake Friends
-some are friends who leave in the fall and come back in the spring, many we have known for the 35 years we have had a cottage here. Others are ones who live here all year like ourselves, and some are new friends and some we have know for a long time.

5. Work Friends
- the ones who shared my 28 years of working, the ones I spent more time with than I did my family, and the ones who I no longer see very often but still stay in touch from time to time, catching up on their families, and their work. I will always be a Credit Union employee, only now I only do it in my heart not physically.

6. Travel Friends
- these are the product of retirement and traveling. The ones we meet on line before a trip, the ones we meet on our travels, and often the ones we may never see again but hopefully will stay in touch with though emails and visits if possible.

7. Former Friends
- these used to be good friends, but due to distance or elapsed time we are no longer close. We still care about each other and are happy to run into each other and say hello, but we no longer spend time together.

8. School Friends
- the friends that I see at school reunions and time stands still. The friends I find on Face book and I have not seen for 40+ years. The friends that I see from time to time and with whom we have a bond that our school years cemented.

9. Organization Friends
-the friends I made while involved in community functions, whether it was Little Theater, Indians baseball, church functions, kids activities, diet clubs, or other volunteer groups.

10. Blog Friends
- those I meet on line and share thoughts, ideas and inspirations. These grow as more and more blogs are found that interest me.

11. Contact Friends
- these are the friends (and that word is used loosely) as I really have never had a friendship relationship with them, but we have met many times whether over a desk at their work, behind a counter at a food place, the cashier in the grocery store, the clerk in the doctors office, the hair dresser, the pedicurist, the couple who did their banking with me for years, or just the guy who pumps my septic tank. Each one of these has got to know a bit about my life and I about theirs and I consider them a friend.

12. No Longer Friends
- I really can not think of any for this group. I am sure there are those that I once befriended and now do not care for me any more but I can not think of any that I feel that way about. Sure some have made me mad , or said things that have hurt, but time heals those things. If you fit in this group, let me know so I don't accidentally greet you with a pleased smile to see you.

When I read this list, I see that many of my friends fall into more than one group as time smudges the lines. I guess what I am saying, is that everyone I have ever known in my life falls into one of these groups and I value their friendship even if they do not know it.