Montaigne says that friends should only spend time with each other because they give themselves entirely to one another. He says that true friends should not need anymore friends because they only need eachothers company. But I think that that is not true. I believe that you can have a million true friends, as long as each and every one of those friends pushes you to be the best you can be, and expands your horizons of thinking and how you look at the world. .
When looking at whom I surround myself with here at Bard, I like to believe I have a group of good friends around whom I can be myself. Friends can deceive and hurt you, but they also have the capacity to bring out the best in you and make you think in ways you never have before. When realizing who are your friends (and who are not) you must think of who puts you in bad situations. If your friends are constantly placing you in environments you are not comfortable in, it may be time to rethink your group. I am a strong believer in surrounding yourself with people who better you. Anyone who makes life harder than it needs to be, or who does not support you is not someone you need in your life. .
When I am around my best friends I am totally myself, I laugh too hard, say stupid things, and goof around. I act a fool most times when I am around my true friends because I know they won't ever judge me for it. Those weird noises everyone makes, and those fake punches I throw at my friends is all just me expressing myself. Its all just me being myself around kids who engage me right back. These are the kids I grew up with so its natural for me to goof off and be myself. They accept me for it. Around my true friends I feel very at home, very at ease. Most times it feels like I haven't a care in the world for anything happening outside our little bubble. Now this is not for me to tell you, the way I interact with my true friends is very different from how you will interact with them.