Photo Friday / 4.18.2025
A Friendly Challenge
“It’s hard to make friends as an adult.”
I’ve said this. I’ve heard it echoed from many post-adolescent lips, and seen accompanying nods expressing heartfelt agreement. Yet, often in a somewhat lackadaisical way, as if it’s a belief that’s been lazily tacked on at the end of a manifesto, without much conviction or thought for the alternatives.
Is it hard to make friends as an adult, or are we just not trying?
I’ve made some friends of late who I would consider to be people of great substance, people who desire depth, and are willing to take the risk of initiating it. And it seems to pay off for them.
Maybe making friends as an adult isn’t all that different from making friends as a child, except that in childhood we don’t tend to dwell on our fears too much. When we “grow up” we find clever ways to avoid things that require something from us, and convince ourselves that it’s simply the way of life, that once we reach adulthood and start living in “the real world” we wake up to the fantasy of adolescence. We tell ourselves that gaining wisdom is a natural part of aging, and that we in later years understand more than those who haven’t reached such lofty heights. Yet I don’t think it’s so simple as that. Growing in wisdom requires something of us, something more than merely submitting to the irresistible progression of time.
Wisdom comes with humility.
Are we trying to make friends, or are we merely hoping they will be given to us, hoping someone else will make the first move? How many of us are standing around looking about the room at all the faces we don’t know, hoping someone else will initiate?
Go first, beloved. Walk in love, and humility, and you will find friendship along the way.
Good word ♥️