Bling Bling

Do you remember that old saying, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold"? I've been thinking a lot about my friendships lately and that line always pops into my head. Gold and silver friendships have their differences but both are pretty special if you ask me.

How many gold friends do you have? Gold friends are so great because they already know everything about you. They remember the first time you served the ball over the net in 8th grade volleyball or the day you got your driver's license. They lived through your first broken heart and know why it's still a sensitive subject. You've had major successes together and probably some pretty messy failures too. I love gold friends because you can sit and talk for hours or you can ride in a car without saying a word and the silence isn't at all awkward. In fact, it's kind of nice. You can sing in front of them, change in front of them, and even fart in front of them without embarrassment.

The other awesome thing about gold friends is that your relationships with them can endure lapses in time, distance, and even disagreement. If a gold friendship gets dusty or buried in the dirt for a while, it's pretty easy to dust it off and shine it right back up again. Two minutes of catching up and you are right back to the comfortable feeling of being together. I saw a gold friend today for the first time in a long time. We just passed each other for a moment and shared a smile. We didn't stop to talk and that was ok. That smile said enough words for an hour of conversation and it reminded me of fun that dated back to second grade.

Silver friends feel a little different but that's what is so cool about them. These are the people who teach you about new things and bring you out of your shell. There is nothing better than meeting someone new and hitting it off immediately, talking for hours and feeling excited about getting together again. Silver friends are fresh and fun. Best of all, they don't yet know your faults or your annoying bad habits.

Facebook has created a type of friendship that we haven't had to consider before, the colorless friends. Friends that aren't really friends at all. Instead, they recognize your name, have met you once, or are being nosy about you. At some point, they might feel like they know you but it's based on status update alone. They know that you cheered for the Packers or that you "like" the Gap, but if you see them at Walmart you try your hardest to avoid running into them. The jury is still out on colorless friends. I often contemplate starting over on Facebook, a new account with no colorless friends, but then who would I spy on and gossip about?

I honestly think there are times when friendships get stale, lose their color. The gold or silver is so tarnished, it can't be shined up again. It's a tough lesson but I've learned it's ok to let those friendships go. If neither of you has worked on keeping the friendship shiny, it's best to focus on those who continue to shine brightly, or those who just need a little buffing.

So while my silver friends are impressed by my enthusiasm for running and fitness in general, my gold friends know how hard it was for me to get here. They were with me to lie to the cheerleading coach about running a 1 mile warm up at practice. Or beg the gym teacher to let us play HORSE on the side to avoid being killed by the guys who were playing basketball for real in gym class. I'm sure a lot of them still can't believe how I've changed in the past few years. But being the gold friends they are, maybe they knew I had this buried somewhere inside me.

Speaking of gold, I give a gold star this week to Brandi K. who met and exceeded her beginning fitness goal and is laughing in the faces of the New Year's resolution foes. I also want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my best silver-turned-gold friend, Deb (Totie) Kraus Nagel. My life just wouldn't be nearly as fun without you.

So here's to all my friends, gold and silver. Work hard and enjoy your week!