As a child I liked playing with other children. I liked having a best friend in elementary school. During high school I enjoyed my time with friends during and outside classes. It felt like the natural thing to do, I didn’t even think about it.
Later in life I’ve noticed all the good things these friends brought me apart from the good times in the moments itself. They brought me some lifelong friends who have a shared history and who’ve seen me grow. They brought me connections and with that some job opportunities. They brought me people to spar with about topics that are included in this book.
During elementary school, high school and even up until university it is rather easy to become friends. You share a similar background and you spend the whole day together without you having to put effort into it. Well, you have to wake up and cycle to school, which are hard chores for a teenager (you’re in for a treat later). Make the most out of this free friendfinder event before your time there is over. As an adult, you will get an hour or a couple of hours at most together, and then you’ll have to schedule a new meeting.
Friendships are created harder and slower. A friend of mine came up with the 50 days theory, where two people have to rack up about fifty days of shared moments before you call someone a friend. You reach the fifty days quickly during childhood with no other distractions and busyness of life. In adulthood it might even take up years before reaching the status of ‘friend’ via this theory.
Don’t feel like a failure if you’ve missed these windows of opportunity. There are opportunities for making friends at all stages in life and they’re all worthy. It just takes more deliberate effort to find them and the friendship will be of a different type.