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Friends and Friendship

22/11/2010

1 Comment

 
Facebook apparently has a limit of five thousand friends per person; personally, I don't see this as a problem.

I've just checked and I have 101 Facebook friends, which is less than the average but I like the ring of it. Friends 101 sounds as if it should be the introductory course of a degree in social networking. I shall be very careful about culling or accepting in the future in order to maintain it.

These musings are prompted by events this weekend. First was a dinner on Friday with 'old' friends at which conversations initiated months - and in one case years - ago were continued and developed as if we had merely nipped out to get another bottle of wine. And then a 60th birthday party on Sunday at which - I'm guessing - 150 or so people turned out for the celebrations.

The birthday boy, John, is probably the most social and sociable person I know. He can and does talk to anyone and everyone about anything and everything. He has an amazing ability to find common ground in unlikely places, and the celebrants yesterday were as diverse a group as you could ask for.

I envy him this. My position is closer to that of one friend who, when I wanted to introduce her to someone I knew she would like, said that she didn't want any more friends: she found it difficult enough maintaining the half-dozen or so friendships she already had.

As someone said, "It takes a long time to grow an old friend". It occurs to me, with regret, that my friends are better friends than I am.

Today's listening: Dylan, Freewheelin' Out-takes.
"He was a friend of mine."

1 Comment
James link
22/11/2010 07:23:49 pm

A friend in need is a friend indeed, but a friend with cake is better!

I'm sure there is some witty remark about the crumbled beginnings of long term friendship.. come to think of it a whole pantry of cake related puns.

However as it's gone past the mixing bowl.. err, I mean midnight and in all honesty am merely hijacking your comment box for some random ranting shall end with..

It takes many ingredients to make a cake and a cake can bring joy to many.. But it offers much greater joy/indigestion to less!

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    Max Smith

    European writer, radical, restaurateur and Red Sox fan. 70-something husband, father, step-father, grandfather and son. Resident in Leamington Spa, England.

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