<p>I have kept in touch with several college friends and consider one in particular (an old boyfriend) to still be one of my closest friends. However, I communicate with and actually see more frequently a small group of hometown friends who I knew from kindergarten on. They really are my "best" friends who have been there for family funerals, weddings, and other life events through the years. We all live scattered across the country and have taken very different paths in life, but they are the people who still seem to know and understand me the best.</p>
<p>My mother's best friends went to high school and college with her. Every other year, four and a half couples rent a villa in Europe. For three weeks the 70 somethings get out and explore that part of the countryside. She still sees her friends from elementary school because she lives in the same parish.</p>
<p>My Friend World is the opposite. It has expanded with time. </p>
<p>I don't see or hear from anyone from elementary or high school years. Our lives followed different trajectories and I have no interest.</p>
<p>I still keep in touch with my best friend from undergraduate school--she was born on Halloween in a mental ward in Mobile "to a card-carrying schizophrenic". She is a successful artist--but I haven't seen her in six years. Periodically, I track down other friends from undergrad. I keep in touch with three or four, particularily those that ended up overseas.</p>
<p>I'm still close to the friends I made as an ex-pat novitiate but have lost track of some of my NYC architect friends.</p>
<p>Once I turned thirty, I made dozens and dozens of close friends through my practice and through the boy's school. I became something of a social engine. A legend, in fact. My two best friends are from that period. They are both women, both attorneys and they both have four kids. One started out as a client. I have many friends that started as clients or employees, men and women. </p>
<p>I've made another dozen good friends in the past three years, but cannot predict whether those friendships will develop into lifelong blab-fests.</p>
<p>My best friend is someone I met in second grade and we have been best friends ever since - believe me, we have been thru everything together! Also, just reconnected with another girlfriend who was very close friends with us both - we were quite a stunning threesom I must say - 4'11" brunette, average height blonde, and tall (5'9")redhead - we made quite a sight! Hope to see both of them at a reunion this fall!<br>
Am also still in touch with/friends with the daughter of one of my mom's nursing school friends - we have been friends since birth! And my college roomate and I stay in touch - altho' not as close as when we were both single and living in the same city...</p>
<p>I agree with the poster that said it is harder to make close friends as you get older...and that shared history means so much - we still laugh about things from years ago and take great joy in the women we have become!</p>
<p>A little off topic, but wanted to share an amazing experience I had several years ago when my brother and I went back to our home town in NJ with our kids...we were doing the whole "this is where we went to church, this is where we went to school, etc." Neither of us had been back in many, many years (moved when we were teenagers and now we all live on the West Coast. </p>
<p>Anyway..we pulled up in front of the house we grew up in and decided to take a picture...the lady who lives in the house came out and I explained we had grown up in the house, moved away, etc etc.</p>
<p>She said "Are you the ______children? I bought the house from your parents and remember them and you well, come right in!" Although the house had changed some, we were able to show our kids our rooms, etc...She was so gracious and it amazed me that she was still there after more than 30 years....really a fun memory...and we got the picture!</p>
<p>Arizonamom - sorry I didn't respond sooner, but was gone for a couple days. Anyway, hubby and I went to Allegheny College. The school is kind of out of the way and since there wasn't much to do off campus, we all hung out together on campus doing stuff. Also, 7 of the 8 of us sang in the college choir. When we get together for weekends, we spend much of the time singing. It is a great time.</p>
<p>Only still know about 3 old HS friends. My fairly small college dept.(25-40 majors a year) has a very tight alumni network with national meetings every other year and an up to date directory. Very handy and still in regular touch with several many years later.</p>
<p>My mom used to tell me that if you find three really close friends in your life, you'll be doing well. :) When I was younger, I thought she was a little crazy but now that I'm older, I understand what she meant. The only contact I have with h/s friends is email or Christmas cards each year. They're always fun to receive and to reciprocate but I'm not sure we'd have much to say if we actually saw each other face to face. </p>
<p>My roommate from freshman year in college is one of those close friends who will remain one for life. We went through many of life's milestones in college together although we were very different individuals. We never fought or argued that entire year, we spent practically every waking moment together, and continued living together after that year. We were each other's maids of honor when we got married, and then, circumstance kept us living at a distance of thousands of miles for many years. We'd get together every few years when we happened to be able to arrange to be in the same city. A few years ago she moved closer and we see each other more often now. In the past year we've been lucky enough to get together three times! It's the type of friendship where you sit down over a glass of wine and are able to reconnect immediately, with conversation flowing easily in a mix of new and 'old' news and reminiscing. </p>
<p>Most of my close circle of friends now have been around since all of our children were young and we all volunteered at their school, served on the PTA, fundraised, organized field trips, were room moms, helped each other out with the problems of young moms. All of our kids are older, some of us work at home or outside the home now, but we still get together often. A small group of us meet once a week, with others joining in when their schedules permit. Everyone knows when and where we'll be at 11 on Thursday mornings. :) We know each others' histories, we've heard each others' stories of growing up, family tales, we've been together through divorce, death, cancer, depression, kids' in trouble, weddings, moving to new cities. Some of us are closer than others but we know that if we ever needed anything at all, we just have to pick up the phone. It's a close group of about 10, and a larger group of about 20. We're very fortunate. One of these friends is like a sister to me. Neither of us has a sister so it works. :)</p>
<p>One who was in that circle of friends initially moved about 12 years ago to the other side of the country. This is my 'third' friend, as my mother liked to describe. She and I hit it off from the moment we met. Our kids were best friends, as were our husbands. Even living on opposite oceans for all these years, we're still close. We visit when we can, email monthly and talk on the phone a few times a year. </p>
<p>I guess I've been very fortunate in my life that I've found such a good group of friends. I feel very lucky to have them and hope that my 4 Ds find their own 'three close friends'. :)</p>