I was listening to This American Life’s episode entitled, “The Perils of Intimacy.” The episode highlighted the faults and obstacles of being in any relationship, and it brought up a good point: adults have a hard time making friends. Over the years, I’ve made plenty of acquaintances and friends, but as time goes on — people graduate, others move away, and a few relationships just grow distant — I find myself counting the number of genuine friends on both of my hands. Listen, I know plenty of people and don’t have a hard time approaching them or even strangers, but there aren’t too many of these individuals who I can call up and hang out with on a regular basis. Do I find myself lonely? Not necessarily, or at least not most of the time.
I’ve accepted the fact that this is part of being an adult, and as the years go on and the number of intimate relationships shrink, it’s going to be time to settle down with someone. I look at my parents: sure, they were probably very popular growing up. But now — with kids and retired — I can’t even think of any other person that they call a real friend (aside from each other and their relatives).
Anyway, take a listen to the podcast. It’s really good and eye-opening: