Friendships

My sister has been, as she says, ruminating about friendship and the differences in the concept of friendship as apprehended by men and women. She also talked of losing one of her circle of friends recently to a move out of state and how that worked for her.
I think she is correct regarding how men and women see friendships differently. I know that’s a generalization and that in real life there are exceptions.
I too think from time to time about friendships and who I could count as what sis would consider to be a close friend, or a friend in an inner circle of some kind. I don’t know that I have such a person right now here in the Wichita area. Possibly the closest might be one or two of the men from church that I see on a regular basis.
However, when I think of that circle of friends, I can think of several who, although I haven’t seen them for perhaps years, I still count as a close friend. In many respects, distance and lack of contact do not diminish that tie, and when we do see each other or visit somehow, we just sort of pick up where we left off and go on.
I can think of Steve and Chris, Troy and Richard, Ron and another Richard. I think of Vern and Earl, of Roy and Bill and another Chris, and several others whom I may not have heard from for quite some time, but I believe that both they and I have each other in the “close friends” column. My wife and family may or may not know who these people are, and that’s OK because they are part of my life and my experiences on this planet.
Is it really possible to maintain a friendship like that? I know that it is because when we do see each other it’s obvious that the tie is still there and the friendship has not diminished because of the passage of time or distance apart.
So when Sis says her hubby has no close friends, she may be correct regarding those he sees every day. However, don’t assume there are no friends in his life. If he’s like me and a lot of other men, he will have those in his background and in his past that he still counts among those who are the closest to him, and he cherishes the memories and relishes the day that he is able to make contact one more time.