I read in an article recently that people now only have about 2 close friends or less, and most of the time that includes family. I was told that your HS friends will stay your friends forever, but that can be debated. You grow so much during HS but you grow even more during college. Your college friends actually will stick with you over the years as you get jobs, start a family etc. But even in college, and when you go into the work place, the friends you make aren't really all that close. (they can be, but most of the time they aren't)
After living in the Bay Area for 6 years now, I realize that people have a ton of friends around them, but really no one close to them. I'd rather have a few friends that are close to me than 50+ friends that I hang out with but I really don't know them all that well. I think once we get older, people don't really put the effort to get to know people, they just hang out for the sake of hanging out and become your face friends. It's almost like coworkers, like you see them because you're supposed to, but other than that you kind of keep a distance.
I'm lucky to have a few close friends since HS. We don't talk all that much but when we do, we pretend as though nothing has changed and we can still have a good time. It might not be the same as seeing each other everyday and crying on each other's shoulders, but I know that throughout my life, we will still keep in touch, even if it means seeing each other once a year only or less. I think the bonds you make with friends in your childhood will last longer than the friends you make as you get older. When you're older you kind of know who / what type of person you'll get along with and you'll probably become close, but that doesn't mean you'll ostracize the others. (of course I don't bother hanging out with people I just don't like)
Keeping in touch is important, but if you don't for awhile, it's not like they'll be resentful or anything if they really are your friends... you'll find out then if they are. People lead busy lives, HS was so easy to just "hang out" all the time. Youl'l make new friends and then you don't really dwell so much on your previous ones.
How ya doing, buddy?
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