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The Art of Friendship
As an introvert, I've had a small group of friends in my life, but they have known me well. As an author, I've spent my solitary life writing, reading, and gardening.
As the years have passed, one by one, I've realized that my most enjoyable times have been with my family...and my dear friends.
Since moving to our rural property last year, seeing my friends has been more of a challenge. (It takes between 30 and 90 minutes to reach our home, depending on the location of each of my friends.)
Consequently, I've had to make a conscious effort and schedule time to see each of them. That has caused me to realize that we should all make a conscious effort to reach out to our friends. Friendship, after all, is like a garden: you get out of it what you put in. It's not just the harvest that is enjoyable, but the work it takes to reap that harvest.
When I lived in the city, it seemed that seeing my friends sort of just happened naturally, with all the writer meetings, art shows, etc. Now, I must pick and choose the number of times I go into the city, due to the time it takes to travel that distance.
The intentionality of making time for my friends seems to be one ingredient to the art of friendship. After all, they're each worth it.
