I recently read an article about the former first lady - Michelle Obama and her understanding of the value that Friends - good friends, bring to your life. Reading that article really got me thinking. Why do we even need friends?
Here are my thoughts on the matter
We are, by nature, social beings. That means that even at our most stripped bare state, we crave some type of human interaction, meaning we want/need to interact with others like ourselves.
Mrs. Obama wished that her husband had more friends that he could relate to and interact with on that level.
I can understand why. There are things that I would rather speak to my girlfriends about than with my significant other or even my sisters – and we’re close (my sisters and I).
Circumstances differ from one person to the next
Now in thinking about the real meaning behind Mrs. Obama’s statement you have to understand that each person and the situation that they live under will differ. The Obama’s were ‘live and in color’ in the White House for eight years and that affected how they were able to relax or even to cut loose.
The constant stress and pressure to live their lives a certain way – while in the White House, would have taken its toll and yet still, they found a way to stay true to themselves and still kept it classy and relative to the position that they found themselves in.
Even their children kept it pg for their parent’s stay within the White House.
Now when she said that maybe her husband, should have a bigger circle of friends. I didn’t necessarily agree with that and here’s why.
Quality over quantity
In my opinion, it is much better (even at the presidential level) to have a select group of friends – that you can count on to be discreet and who you know will have ‘your back’ in any given situation rather than have a huge ‘school’ of friends who add no value to your life.
Having that select group of friends allows you a certain level of comfort which in turn can allow you the option of letting your ‘guard down’. This can be freeing and allows you to just be ‘free.'
When you have that close group of friends, there are times that you will need to invest in those friends and maybe host activities that allow you all to just come together and be yourselves.
Whether it’s an adult sleepover, to dinner and a movie night once a month or even just calling them every week – it’s about making the time to make that connection and in the end both your friends and you will be all the stronger for it.
