How do you define the word friend? Plus Bonus Blog:What are three things you can do to be a better friend to the people in your life? #postaday2011

A friend is someone who knows you well enough to love you when you are at your worst. A friend is someone who you think about - but don't "need" to talk with, who thinks about you - but doesn't "need" to talk with you to stay connected. A friend for me is someone who I find time to spend quality time with sporadically - this might be for a few hours every three months or even longer between visits - and when you begin talking, it was like yesterday that you last saw each other. A friend is someone you know who is there, but you aren't necessarily with every day.

I'm not sure if this is a personality aspect of me - but I haven't had many close, intimate friends over my life. I have never felt the "need" for this much contact with people I consider friends. Perhaps I have trust issues. Perhaps I am a bit of a loner. Perhaps I enjoy time to myself. I haven't worried about the "why" of this much - it just is this way for me. So, I have a handful of very close friends I randomly cross paths with sometimes more frequently than others. It works for me. However, I have friends who I recognize I am not being the kind of friend that they need. So to respond to the Bonus part of this posting - three things I can do to be a better friend to the people in your life:

1. Call for no reason other than to visit. This is difficult for me - I tend to be task focused. But I am willing to do this for my friends.
2. Schedule time to spend more frequently. This will be a good habit for me. I tend to need two weeks away from work to relax enough to enjoy time away from work. Perhaps spending more time socializing with friends will result in a happier, more relaxed me?!?
3. Send cards for birthdays, anniversaries, or just because the card made me think of my friend. I love getting cards from my friends for a reason as much as no reason. I can do this for my friends too!