You’ve got a friend in me . . .

I love Randy Newman’s song from Toy Story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2gPZRsz0Q And who could find a more unlikely friendship than a toy cowboy and a toy astronaut?  Even in real life, a cowhand and an astronaut may not quite be on the same wavelength.

Friends . . . to infinity and beyond.

A post by a friend of mine on friendships gave me pause for thought today.

How many friends have I had since I was a little girl?   How many have I lost?  How many are still there?  How many are new ones?

There is no answer really, because like the ebb and flow of a tide, so friendships come and go.  Some are on a rock-hard base of shared life experiences, some are on the shifting sands of a shared interest and some are built on fresh air.

In my case I invest emotion into my friendships.  I like to listen to stories but I like people to listen to me too.  If I am there for them in their dark moments, I want them to be there for me in mine.

My oldest friendship died along with my oldest friend.  She was my bestest friend from primary school and after university we lost touch but crossed paths again a few years ago.  Sadly she had cancer and we tried to hold onto what we had lost and re-visit all that she remembered of our young years.  I spent the second last day of her life with her and it was joyous and brave and I miss her.  At her funeral, I met up with another lost friend and we vowed and declared on her memory, to touch base regularly even though we live in different states.  We have kept the bargain and I am delighted.

I have a whole host of e-friends now, thanks to being published, and we have more fun gossiping in Chatzy and by email, even on FB and blogs than I could have thought possible.  How blessed am I at my age?

The lost friends are best left alone . . . but I will say this:  exhibitions of racism, xenophobia, selfishness and egotism were the individual weights that sank those friendships.  It hurt when they disappeared but as Corinne’s article points out, (http://www.squidoo.com/when-to-end-a-friendship) toxic relationships are a waste of precious time.

In the end its all a compromise and that’s why I love Buzz Lightyear and Woody.  In the case of all my friends, both old and new: To Infinity and Beyooooonnnd!