friends.

as i sit here, a beautiful two-week-old baby lies next to me sleeping.  the sun streams in the windows and the sounds of missy higgins fill the room.  i should be doing homework.  in fact, that's one of the reasons that jen took jake to his "away we play" class and me here with only little max.  as usual, i can't seem to focus.

i've been thinking recently about what it means to be "friends."  does it mean that you spend a lot of time together?  does it mean that you're near eachother?  that you were once in the same group of friends?  i've long considered people i knew in the past to be "friends" but i realize that's not necessarily the case.  some were only people i knew because we had mutual friends, or because we were on the same bro/sis.  but many of those people, i barely know, and hardly knew to begin with.  i've started saying "this guy i know" or "an old friend" instead of just referring to everyone i know as "friend."  maybe this is being too selective, but i see it as a means of clarifying how close i really am to that person, probably only for my own benefit.

a healthy switch, i think, as i don't want to be under the illusion that i have hundreds of friends.  instead, i'll know for sure that i have several friends and a whole lot of acquaintances and "people i know."