A friend is someone you let peek into your heart. Some friends only get that peek. Others will find their way into your heart. Both are worth keeping in your life. Both will enrich you in ways you do not know yet.

I see lots of memes about friendship. Some talk about how a true friend is always part of your life. Some talk about letting go of friends when they take more than they give. Yet others encourage us to recognize those who no longer serve an obvious purpose. If I followed the advice of memes, my social media friends list would become very short, very quickly.

Friendships bring out all kinds of emotions. New friendships are giddy with “me toos!” as you discover one another. More mature relationships evolve into friends who see your posts and message you to see if everything is okay. Those message may  not be regular, but you know if you want to chat, the friend is there.

And then there are the ones who disappoint. The ones you thought would work out, but it turns out there is some major incompatibility issues. What to do? You never know how the other person will handle the situation. I’ve had friends who blow up and take every negative reaction within their power to disown me. I’ve had others who quietly agree the friendship has run its course.

Honestly, it bothers me when people blow up. I don’t understand how self-righteous people get and then claim they were hurt by me. What about how I feel? Betrayal comes to mind, especially when social media provides such a wonderful way to see what a person is doing, even if they removed you from their social media “life.” But, it apparently isn’t about me. It’s about all the pain I’ve inflicted on them. And that’s about the time I realized the friendship was just a coincidence. A thing or two in common, but no trust to act as glue.

Your challenge: Look at your friendships. Are you helping/ hurting or neutral in your online life? Just FYI…real life relationships are way easier to deal with since you can actually see the person and make decisions based on interactions. It’s not about who has the most friends. It’s about having friends you can share your path with.