Always Evolving

The last five years have been years of major personal development. I have realized who I am, but even more importantly I have accepted who I am. In the midst of figuring out myself there has been a constant shift in friendships. 

I look back through failed and successful friendships.  These friendships whether failed or successful have changed me as a person.  They have allowed me to grow. The ending of a friendship can be necessary for personal growth and as we get older our time to nurture our friendship becomes minimal. 

My early 20s were spent surrounding myself with friends for that "season" of my life. Frienship was centered upon club hopping and alcohol.  Frienship in my 20s could be summed up as a "party" and that is completely okay. Changes began to occur in my priorities, likes/dislikes and what I was looking for in a friendship. These changes lead to frienships ending.

As I started getting older I started to distinguish healthy friendships with toxic friendships.  I felt more and more comfortable within my own skin and more confident to end toxic friendships.  I realized the more "friends" that surrounded me did nothing for me and my own personal growth especially if the frienship proved toxic. 

Friendships in your 30s have proven to be very different.  There is a focus on quality rather than quanity.  Lives are busy with time being more valuable.  In turn, you are prone to be more choosy with who you are spending your time with. You have developed  solid passions and interests.  The frienships of my 30s are built on a solid foundation of two people with similar interests, respect for each other's opinions and time. The frienships I have now are built on mutual respect for the seperate lives we lead and the understanding we do not need a weekly dinner date to solidify our frienship.

If you are growing as a person it is inevitable that you will outgrow some or all of your friends. There is always that sense of obligation but staying true to yourself is the most important objective.