Apr. 13, 2004
I always wondered what was a measure of friendship. What distinguished the close from the closer. So analyze it from the goodbye.
Take for example, someone you don't talk to on a regular basis, an old friend, an acquaintance, or someone you just talk to once in a while....you talk and talk, and then comes that moment, when you both know there is that inevitable goodbye. So you search for the prelude to an end. A foreplay to a departure. Your conversation gets short, you pause, throw in a few "I'll give you a call soon", or "well, I have to run but, we'll talk tomorrow, for sure.." Of course they are just words. Something to lead up to the goodbye. So goodbye!
And then there are the ones who you can get into a deep conversation with and at the the drop a dime, you conclude and leave the conversation... "gotta go, OK bye" click. You know theses people well. You talk to them every day. It's a known fact that they will probably call back in the next 15 minutes. No need for any uncomfortable wind ups. No awkwardness or BS that get thrown in there. Just bye. Short. Sweet.
Some goodbyes are goodbyes, and some are just the courteous pauses between conversations of close friends...