photo by me

Don’t you love having those friends that you can be you around – whoever that may be?

I love the kinds of friendships where you can talk for hours about nothing or about everything and at the end of it, you wish you had more time for all of it.

I’m thinking about friendship again because the same topic has come up with two different people. Both men have talked about being friends with women (namely me) and how a lot of other people don’t think it’s possible to be “just friends” with a woman.

I’m here to say that not only is it possible but those relationships can turn out to be some of the most rewarding.

I’ve recently invited a friend to come live with me if some other opportunities don’t pan out for him. He loves Flagstaff and he knows that he would be happy coming back here.

We’ve been friends for a long time and it would be nice to have him back in town.

There hasn’t ever been anything but friendship between us and, yet, we have an incredibly intimate friendship. We talk about all kinds of things. Actually, we’re very honest with one another and can talk about anything.

I cherish that friendship. It is special to me because it is one of a kind.

And creating new friendships with other men is just as fun. There isn’t any pressure to deal with all of that “relationship” stuff. We can just be us and have fun. Or disagree. Or tease relentlessly. Or even flirt. Because we know it won’t go any further and it’s all done with the best of intentions.

When I can talk with someone for hours on end, about language usage or movies or food or travel or our love for the outdoors, that is special. It means something to me.

I treasure those moments.