Old Friends

The cherry trees are blossoming now in Victoria's streets and the temperature is warm enough so that people can stop and chat with one another. I like this photo because these people look like they are old friends. Friendship is not so highly rated in today's culture as romantic or sexual relationships, yet it's an important aspect of social life. In today's highly mobile culture it is difficult to maintain friendships and I suspect most of us have no more than a few really close friends from our youth and childhood, when we make friends most easily. True friendship is probably our most selfless relationship in that it's not based on the exchange of sexual, emotional or economic favors and is defined neither legally nor genetically. It's one of those things that we know when we have it and we know when we don't have it but we find it difficult to say exactly what it is. If you have a few good old friends, count yourself a lucky person.