Has your idea of what makes a good friend changed as you’ve gotten older? – Asks the daily prompt.

Not really. What changed is as you learn more about yourself and others and those things change friendships sometime. Luckily in most cases it’s made them stronger. When I was young, I thought good friends went on forever. And in some cases, I’ve been lucky and had that come true.

Good friends stay in contact with each other. Good friends are honest with each other. Good friends are there for you in times of crisis as well as the good times. Good friends adapt. Good friends have compassion. Good friends listen. Good friends share willingly without expectations or keeping score.

You learn about professional friendships as age in your career. So that is a change. That day-to-day relationship you had at the job turns into something special over the years and decades with some people. You shared a passion and love in a moment of time together and created something special and had a lot of fun doing it together along with those shared experiences under difficult circumstances. The massive time you spend at work together you get to know them and their families.

I’ve had some very good friends at work for years. One of my best friends I met at the job 46 years ago. I have several other very special relationships and good friends that go back 3,4 and 5 decades from friendships that started on the job and lasted well beyond the profession part.

It’s easy to be friends when young. Most are just looking to have a good time together. Going on adventures, playing sports together, and other interests. Staying friends over time is sometime easy and at other times challenging.

I’m sure a lot of people ran into a recent phenomenon that never existed before in friendships and even between some families. Politics never mattered much in friendships even if you supported different parties. I remember having active political discussions many years/decades with friends and family. None of that ever even budge the needle about changing a relationship. With Trump that all changed. It caused old friendships and families to break with each other which is really sad when you think about it. One-person dividing a country like that.

But it happened. I’ve lost one of my best long-term friends over that unfortunately. What changed is that he made it personal and he drew lines, and if you believed in Trump, you couldn’t be friends with the enemy because they were wrong and against everything you believe.

You know your good friends when you get older by one thing that wasn’t common in your younger years unless alcohol was involved. When we leave each other or finish a conversation now, we end with a “Love you (name/man), take care.” I don’t know when it started with each, but it did and it continues with each of my good friends. Be it in each time we speak or in writing now.