It’s so much easier to be friends when your lives are on similar tracks. But what happens when suddenly one of you is married, while the other is still a swinging single? Or when pregnancy and motherhood curtails your usual child-unfriendly activities? It’s times like these when you have to get creative, and while it may take a little more effort to coordinate schedules and such, it’s more important than ever to avoid growing apart. It would be such a waste to let normal, inevitable life changes tear apart a friendship that, so far, has withstood the test of time. Appreciate each other’s differences and learn from each other. And who knows – seeing her lifestyle from a different perspective, and her seeing yours, could lead to some valuable insights you can share with each other in the form of friendly advice. Sadly, sometimes you will outgrow a friendship, especially if your friend isn’t willing to deal with parts of your new lifestyle (your kids, for example). But try everything you can to salvage your relationship, even in the midst of major changes; it’s usually worth it.
You can keep acquaintances with minimal effort, but true and genuine friendship requires much more. It’s the difference between enjoying a casual drink with someone, and getting out of your warm bed to go pick her up at two o’clock in the morning when she’s too impaired to drive. And in order to keep a friendship strong, you have to take a look at what kind of friend you are, and the things you may (unwittingly) be doing to sabotage the state of affairs. Being an involved, attentive, and selfless friend takes work, but it’s an investment that will keep you warm during the coldest times in your life – and it’s during those times that you will be ridiculously glad you made that investment in the first place.