The spiritually connected friend is one with whom you typically develop rich, long lasting friendships with. They are those that stick with you through “thick and thin” and don’t judge you or condemn you. These are mature, valuable friendships that help to grow you, change you and in general, make you a better person.
The superficial and incidental friends are those with whom you come in contact with during the course of your day due to the location where you work, the bus you take, or the grocery store you shop. These friendship type relationships are brief, unpredictable (as you don’t know when you’ll really see them next, if at all) and as light as they get. You may go into the family discussion of “How are the kids?” etc, but the conversations usually don’t extend any further. These are “nicety” conversations and ones that evolve out of simple politeness. As it would be rude to be in such close proximity and not acknowledge that fact, many simply smile and don’t speak at all.
The weird and nutty friends are those who make you laugh and think, all without straining your brain too far. The weird friendship type that fills this space in your life also fulfills a need, a need for mid-level interaction; not too deep, not too surface. You can laugh and have fun, maybe doing things you normally wouldn’t do under the watchful eye of your professional work associates or the grocery store clerk, but also to talk about things that are otherwise out of bounds. Giving you a positive spin or a hilarious anecdote to soften the frustration, the hurt or the neglect helps you know that you’re not alone.
The academic and work associates you encounter during your day are those friendship types of people who simply get you through the day. You may be forced to spend time with them outside of the work place at a seminar or training, but normally, unless you’ve developed a special friendship with someone at the office or at school and you’ve found that you have similar interests, situations or whatnot.
These special friendship type relationships usually carry over into your family life. Family members meet the special friends in your life and often end up spending time with the both of you on certain occasions. You may be coffee buds and hang out at the café after work or on the weekends to do anything but work or talk about work. These friendship type relationships are valuable, long lasting and mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Do you know what friendship type you are to those around you? Would you like to change or even create new friendship types with those you come in contact with daily? Maybe you know that there is a lady in the office who likes to scrapbook; you do too. Invite her over and see what unfolds. Your most valuable friendships may have yet to be developed.