Friends

Ever since I was a child, my mother raised me to recognize and appreciate various


kinds of friends.   There are three different kinds of friends in this life.   I classify them


according to how well I know them and how well they know me.   We encounter each of them


everyday, whether in school, home, or at the gym.   However, we rarely spend much time actually


thinking about and classifying these people.   First, there are the "pest friends"- general


acquaintances.   Next, there are "guest friends"- social partners.   Lastly, we have "best


friends"- our true friends.


        The first type of friend is simply an acquaintance.   This means that you basically


only know their name.   You might not even remember what they look like if you go away for a


short vacation.   Usually, you meet these type of friends in school, at work, on the bus, in


the gym, or anywhere else you might be.   You normally would not mind having a cup of coffee


with them, but if anything else came up, you usually would have no problem parting company.


You normally don’t miss them when they are elsewhere.   It is also this type of friends who


give you the most amount of aggravation.   Since most of the time you are placed in a position


where you have to act friendly, such as school or work, you would not normally tell an


acquaintance when he or she is doing something aggravating, such as tapping the fingers an a


table or chewing gum loudly.   This is why I call them "pest friends."


                The second category of friends I call "social partners."   This is because they


are closer than acquaintances, but no where near as close as a true friend.   Social partners


are usually acquaintances who evolve into "guest friends" through increased extracurricular


activities. You know their name, a little of what they like or dislike, a little of their
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