27.5.09

Segregation

Not in the racial sense of the word. But, segregation, nonetheless.

I noticed that I have a tendency to separate my groups of friends. In observing my circles, I see that there are certain people that I hold very dear to my heart. Only a handful of them know everything that there is to know about me. But, I don't mix my friends. I suppose that sometimes I think that it's like mixing different types of alcohol. The immediate effect is a high that is only achieved through the mingling. But, in the long run, it's something that shouldn't be done. Something that could be dangerous and potentially, life threatening.

Here are the groups... in no particular order of importance.

There's the Cliffhangers. People that I have known for years. Some, since I was a pre-teen adolescent in the pre-pubescent period of my life. These friends have been with me through thick and thin. They know my history. I know that I can count on them to always be there. They've not proven me wrong. Even in the time that I was away from home and basically cut off all communication with people of my past, they never gave up on me. When I came back, it was like picking up from where we left off. Yes, we missed a lot of each other's lives. But, in the end, we know that we can run to one another in the event of any particular crisis. The only thing with this particular group is that I feel like I can't be totally honest with my beliefs without being looked at in a particular way. But, I love them.

Then, I have my Community. Not only my immediate community. But, others who have been called to walk in The Way. With these friends, I feel like I can be completely open about my faith. I can open up about my struggles with truly believing. We all suffer the same trials. We've travelled together, cried together, laughed without inhibitions... With them, I can share the struggles I face when confronted with questions or remarks about The Way(there are many). We've all had the same questions posed to us.

The next is, S.O.U.L. A group made up of friends old and new. A couple of us have known each other, upwards of 15 years. Most are new friends. But, with these people, I feel that I can be myself and show my spiritual face to. There are some times when I feel a little awkward. Mostly, when we talk about The Way. But, for the most part, these are people whom I look forward to seeing a lot more of. There's never a real moment of uncomfortable silence with them(nope... not even during the rosaries).

I also have an online community of friends. They've all helped me in one way or another. Some, I've known for a few years... some, a few months. Most, I've never met in person. But, it doesn't lessen their importance in my life. I appreciate them all and look forward to meeting at least a handful of them in the future.

Then, of course, I've got the acquaintances. Not to cheapen them. I don't doubt that they'd make good friends and that the people who consider them close friends are rather blessed to have them. People I see on occasion.... A side note... A friend of mine noticed how, here on Guam, when we see friends whom we consider 'acquaintances', we just barely wave or nod acknowledgement. I was asked why we do this. I suppose, being here on this tiny island, it's not that big a deal to see someone you know. So, you don't feel the need to carry on a full fledged conversation with said person. Or, maybe it's just that laid back, Pacific Islander life-style.

Now, people in these groups of friends are not mutually exclusive from any other group. I can have someone from S.O.U.L. meet Community. Or, someone from the Cliffhangers meet a couple of people from S.O.U.L. This would be perfectly fine. I just don't know about the whole lot mingling together. It would make one interesting wedding, don't you think? *laugh*

I guess I got to thinking about this the other night. It was Jacque from Community's birthday and I was out with them. I thought about calling a couple of people from S.O.U.L. and then thought again. I don't think I'm afraid of what one group might think of the other. I don't think I'm afraid of what the groups would reflect of me. I don't know what it is, though. What about you? Do you let your different groups of friends mingle? Do you keep them separate? Is it childish? *shrug*

No comments:

Post a Comment