There are different kinds of friendships. There's casual acquaintances, work buddies, best friends, temporary school friends. The type of friends you have can make a massive difference in your life; in fact, friends are one of the most influential parts of growing up. Different types of people like different sorts of friendships, too. Some prefer to have one or two close friends, others have a large group of besties. One that isn't talked about often though are the people who 'float' between friend groups.
My entire life, I've been a bit of a floater. I moved around a lot growing up, so I was never one of those girls with a set group of friends since preschool. I had to learn to make new friends quickly, and I always sort of expected to end up moving again, so I never set any deep roots. Even long after my family stopped moving, I hadn't found my "group." I had friends in different places: music friends, horse friends, school friends. All throughout high school, my circle was a constantly changing mix of people. This sort of life has followed me to college, where even now, I don't really have a "squad" to call my own.
Of course, I have a couple of people I consider my best friends. This doesn't really change the bigger dynamic of my friend group, though. Being a floater is freeing, but also hard. It's freeing in the sense that you have so many options. You can call up anybody from different parts of your life to do different things with. You have people you relate to in different ways. You have people you value for various reasons, but they're all important. There are more chances to help and be helped. The flip side, however, can be very lonely. It gets hard to watch your friends have their own, main groups. When you hang out with them, it can feel like you're on the edge of a circle you don't really belong in.
I don't say this to be negative: I consider myself to have some amazing friends. And I've been blessed to have them, all scattered in various pieces of my life. Floating has taught me to appreciate people for who they are and the time I get to spend with them. Not every friendship lasts a long time, but they all leave behind a lasting mark.
