Now That's What I Like

F R I E N D S

After rehashing that harrowing memory of Missy's party, I need a break from the toy biz. These days I'm not doing parties anymore and I have other thoughts on my mind of course.

I've always been the sort of girl people either love or they hate. Usually there isn't much in between. I grew up poor as a church mouse and learned by watching my mama what not to do in life. The one thing I didn't learn was how to keep friendships.

You know how when you see some pretty girl on the news has vanished and all her friends and family say how everyone loved her and she didn't have an enemy in the world? Well, should I ever disappear ain't a soul in this fool town that can say that about me - not even my own mama!

One of my pet peeves is when people don't question what their part is when a friendship fizzles. I have often wondered what it is about me that either sends people to me like flies to shit or makes 'em run for the hills.

I know what I look for when I want a friend. I have it fairly narrowed down after thirty something years.

I like someone I can be quiet with. Now it's one thing if you haven't seen each other for awhile and you have a mess of things to share; however, if there has to be constant chatter and especially if I'm the one starting most of these conversations, I'll soon grow bored. I hate the feeling of having to be on all the time.

This is probably one of the best things about Bubba, my husband. We can sit quietly in each others' presence for an eternity but this is also sometimes an annoyance and why I have and need girlfriends. And I'm not talking about him right now anyway.

If I'm to remain friends with someone, they better make me laugh. Now they don't have to be a stand up comic mind you but I like someone that has some wit about them and isn't dull and too serious. If you can't be funny, the least you can do is laugh at yourself. Major bonus points for intelligence.

Over the years I have quickly weeded out the moochers from my world. I'm not a mooch myself and I like to give when I can. I wouldn't do something for a friend expecting reciprocity but it's nice to know they would do the same for me.

Lastly, a friend should be someone you feel comfortable calling even when you don't have anything to say. I suppose trustworthiness and honesty are also important traits but I don't a want a pal to be so honest that my feelings get hurt.

When I think about the things I've done wrong in the past to push people away it's usually that I wasn't myself when I met them. Maybe I held back or bit my tongue. Maybe I repeated something I shouldn't have. One person reportedly found me to be too negative. Another was offended when she read my online journal (that I never showed her but duh, it's the internet) and found out what I really thought of her. 

I've pushed people away for seeming too needy or too eager. I've pushed away friends for being boring or constantly using me as a sounding board without seeming very interested in me as a person. And sometimes friends have been phased out simply because I never see them. 

Oh, friendship is a sticky, fickle thing, isn't it? Kind of like selling those novelties actually.