Valuing your Friendships

Friends come from many different mediums: online, face to face & over the phone friends. Often we assume all our friends should be as close as best friends. We place expectations on our friendship and feel disappointed when friends let us down. However, it's important to be realistic with your expectations. For instance, is it appropriate to expect the same from an acquaintance you chat to online as it from a friend you see socially on the weekends? 

Much of our disappointment with friends stems from what we expect from them and from our own values. Often we think "I'd never treat a friend like that", but should all your friends have exactly the same values as you? Is it possible that everyone has a million and 1 things going on in their lives, so you will find times when they have loads of time for you & times when they are simply caught up in their own lives.

The message here is as long as you are being treated with respect, you can relax and allow your friends to be who they are, rather than be a clone of you. Enjoy friendships for what they are and try not to place demands, ultimatums or infect them with unnecessary neediness.