My best friends seem to be mainly those who I struck accord with in my early years. Having a history and going through similar experiences has definitely strengthened the bond I have with those closest to me.
Keeping friendships that don't have a history appears more difficult in my case. Even with common interests it is hard to maintain regular contact with busy lives and family commitments.
More recently those friendships I've made mainly exist around involvement in a similar interest, in my case running.
This might be a bloke thing because from my observations women seem to be able to communicate more deeply and have better skills in maintaining those friendships.
Supporting each other through the hard times and giving selflessly to those you care about seems fundamental in maintaining strong bonds.
Several years ago I wrote a song in which I tried to reflect what I felt friendships were. Interestingly the children I teach have adopted the song as a reflection of their friendships. Often they embrace each other when we sing together in class which I think is real sweet. It brings me immense joy to see my music having such an emotional impact.
The song is called Best Friends Forever. Hope you like it as much as the kids do!
Would appreciate any comments about the importance of friendship.
