Friends of the Road

All lonely and huddled up in DC, I decided to get on skype to hang out via internet with a familiar voice- or, um, screen name. A friend and I got to talking about friendship. We talked about the people we grew up with, and how much we feel that we are slipping away from those bonds of friendship. As our lives change, so do our friends. At times, it can seem so sad to leave friends behind, when you were just finally finding someone that you shared something in common with. This got me to thinking about something.

When I was a pre-teen (10? 11?) my mother sent me and a bunch of my friends to a conference for girls, where they talked about all sorts of things. The subjects ranged from exercise to sex to reading the bible. While this memory is foggy, one thing I remember is a talk a woman gave us on friendship. She said there are two types of friends- Friends of the Road, and Friends of the Heart. Friends of the Road are with you for a particular point on your journey, and then get off when it is convenient for them. Friends of the Heart are there for you always.

How much is friendship like being on the metro? People get on and off, some riding with you for a long while before they reach their stopping point. Those people are friends of the Road. But then, there are those who are with you for your full journey. They are determined to reach the same destination as you.

When I think back to the girls I attended the conference with, I try to remember what they are doing now. Once brought together by church, one has moved away, losing touch forever. A friend of the road. One is getting married soon. We don't live in the same city anymore, and although once very close, we don't speak as much anymore. She is starting her life now, and I see that while she rode with me for a long time, she is also a friend of the road.

But then there are friends of the heart. While she never attended this conference, I think of how lucky I am to have my best friend. While we aren't in the same location, I know that she is my metro car with me until the final destination. While we may not sit side by side, I know she's there. And in the end, we'll be in the same place. How lucky am I to have found one friend of the heart.

On skype, our conversation dwindled with a couple of "that's what she said" jokes, and a little grammar discussion. However, I am thinking more seriously now about how times change, and how I should readily accept friends of the road, but also let them go with the same easiness. There is nothing wrong with forming these bonds, and I'm sure that one day, we'll end up in the same place, if only for a short bit. Until then, I look around my metro car of friends, and pray that at least some of them will stay on with me.