The Importance of Friends

Something that my mother-in-law said to me when she was visiting us at Christmas has been bugging me. When I was lamenting the fact that I missed my friends back in Indiana, she said, "Friends are over-rated." At the time, I thought it was a strange and rather un-helpful statement to make to someone who was clearly homesick and lonely. Anyway, she says a lot of puzzling things that I just have to forget, but this one has stuck with me all this time. Part of the reason it has been dogging me is because I don't believe it's true, and also because my husband, through the years, has also said similar things to me. He has never really put much value on friendships like I have and now I know why. The longer I am married to this man, the more I see how differently our families functions, and what things our indiviual families valued. Even though I hate to admit it, I am awfully thankful I am from the family I came from. I think friendship is something humans can live without, but I don't think you live very well or very happily without friends. I feel terrible to say this, but right now, in this place, I have no friends. Sure, I have acquaintences here: my girls' teachers, a few friendly people at the church I am attending, and two neighbors, but these people while being friendly are not true friends. There isn't anyone here that I can just call to talk to, or to ask to see a movie or go shopping with. It's all very strange to me. I have been finding myself craving adult interaction, but there just isn't any to be had other than my husband, and these days, he's just not all that interesting to me; just too much of a downer to be around him. I guess the good thing is that I still have friends in Indiana so when we eventually get back there, I won't have to start all over in the friend department. In my opinion, friends are just as important as family and I miss having them.