Miriam Webster's dictionary defines friendship as "the state of being friends." The definition of friendship is as subjective and diverse as people throughout the world. Each person has a relationship with another person and that relationship is unique to that combination. Friendships grow and change just as each individual, and the definition of friendship grows and changes with each progressive relationship.
When I was very young, I was told not to talk to strangers. Even though I understood the potential for danger, I couldn't help thinking I might miss out on getting to know someone important if I didn't extend my friendship. In church, I would peek my head over the pews and smile at one or two people. Most people would smile back at me, and there was not a better feeling in the world! At two or three years old, I was capable of making adult friends without using a single word. Week after week I would try out my smile on someone new. As a child, my definition of friendship included the relationships I had with anyone who smiled back at me.
In junior high school, it became more difficult to acquire and maintain friends. At the time, I felt I was the only one experiencing constant friendship changes. In retrospect, all young people are subjected to the ever-changing nature of children who define and redefine friendship, experiment with identity, and frequently imagine themselves as a different people. We defined ourselves by our dress and speech and by our "cliques." Our friends were often accessories to our moods. Hearts were broken, but hearts usually healed quickly. Few classmates could be labeled as committed companions.
In high school, I defined friendship as being responsible for friends the way a mother is responsible for a baby. I was afraid I might somehow lose friendships if I used my friendships for their true purposes. I was a great listener (everyone came to me with his or her problems), but I never confided in my friends with my fears and worries.
