Friends

I try, and have been trying for a very long time, to be a good friend to people I care about. I keep my friends in my thoughts, freely give them my time and energy, and sacrifice my own wants, and in some cases needs, to meet theirs. It is important to me that I am a good friend, and that my children see me regularly pour support and empathy into others. That said, I'm certainly not perfect, I make many missteps, and I sometimes trip over myself when friendships start to compete with one another or become so important that I lose too much of myself in them. Ive been thinking a lot about my friendships the past couple of days and am suprised and happy to say that for the most part my assessments are positive. I am friends with people who are good friends to me in return. Three friends in particular proved themselves very kind today by offering me support in different ways. And two of these people have just recently (in the past month or so) offered me their friendship, which makes their gestures all the more significant. On the other hand, I've come to the conclusion that a couple of my friendships have run their natural course and are at their end. It makes me sad, and a little melancholy, but all in all I'm feeling okay about letting them go. I've been giving way too much and while I don't expect a completely balanced set of scales, or keep score, I'm just not getting enough in return. At some point the price gets too high and I've got a limited checking account.