Imaginary Friends...

How many of you had imaginary friends when you were younger?  I never had an imaginary friend and I’m still upset about it!  Perhaps it was my short attention span or lack of dedication but a potential imaginary friend never made it more than two minutes before they were forgotten.  When my parents got tired of listening to Chatty Kathy over here, I just talked to myself.  Me, myself and I had amazing conversations and everyone was quite opinionated. 

After researching how the Imaginary Friend thing works, its seems the basic concept is that a child creates an imaginary friend in order to fill a void.  The imaginary friend acts as a confident and allows the child to work through whatever issues they face.  When the child grows and learns to master its issues then the Imaginary Friend disappears,  theoretically because the child doesn’t need them anymore.

During a visit with old friends, we dug into the concept of friendship.  Having been friends for the better part of a decade (scary how time flies) we have seen each other through good times and bad and I have no doubt that we will be there for each other for the decades to come.  With some friends,  you know you are just in it for the long haul.  Sure you go through ups and downs but there is always that unspoken connection that keeps you together.

Sadly, or not, depending on how you look at it, there are friendships are meant to last.  Sometimes when people grow, they grow apart instead of together.  Think about how many friends you have had throughout the years and how many of those people you still keep in contact with.  I’d venture to guess that the percentage is pretty small; and that’s okay.  In fact, that’s normal.

But the concept of Imaginary Friends got me thinking, what if we, as adults, have real-life imaginary friends?  Interpret that however you will but I offer up my interpretation anyway.  Whether you are 17 or 71, you constantly try to figure out who you are.  Identities get lost and redefined.  Wants change, needs change and situations change.  This is the time in life when you find out what you are made of.  Along your journey there are people who were put there to help you and you to help them. 

It is my honest opinion that we are meant to learn something from every relationship in life.  Some people are put in your life for a short time and some for longer.  Like the Imaginary Friend, often when you have learned what you needed to and taken from the relationship all that there was to take, the friendship disappears.  When the relationship no longer works for who you have become, then it is best to part ways.

It is important to remember that not everyone can be a life- long friend.  Endings are often sad and at times frustrating but look at it this way, you are simply opening yourself up for something better to come along. 

Till next time

~E

PS  Football is BACK!!