Friends: How many of us have them?

And then next line is "One's we can depend on."

I was on Creole in DC's site (which is a GREAT blog. It is fabulously real at times and digresses unashemedly to utter foolishness sometimes) and there was a post about having old friends.

Well it got me to thinking...I have one great friend from college. She joined the marching band but hadn't played clarinet since 5th or 6th grade. She was terrible but I was section leader and helped her until she was able to make it. We became fast friends, she's from "The D" too and we were roommates and didn't hate each other afterward. I wish she was closer, she has since moved to Charlotte and does not own a computer and doesn't "get" email so we have to chat in between jobs, children and husbands. The rest of the people I'm still in touch with from college are...I hate to say this but it's real.....disposable. I can't say I'd miss them if we never spoke again. We've had these shallow disconnected conversations for the past 15 years.

I have one best cousin who lives in Newark. I can talk to her about almost anything and she never judges me and I love her for that. But again, the distance it so great that there are times when we can't see each other in person for a few years and when I need a hug, she's too far away.

I have a few goods friends here in "Big city wanna be." And one great one. I have just had trouble finding people who I have more than one thing in common with. One friend loves words as much as me, one is a Muslim like me and one is a news junkie like me. As I sit there thinking, I can't call anyone else I know a friend. They'd all have to be acquaintances.

Moving around as an adult has made it a bit diffucult. I left Detrot at 17 and have only returned for a few times for more than 2 weeks for summers and Christmas breaks. I lived in the Dayton area from about 1991-1998 then Chicago until 2001 and now here. But I always find anyone I really want to talk to and they find me.

Sometimes though I wish I had a Gayle kind of friend who I can call everyday about anything. I am still looking for that friend who is my Ethel (and I'd be Lucy) who is game to try anything. I just want to have a buddy.