Male Companions

Do Men Have Friends

Do men have friends like women do? My husband Gary always tells me he has no friends. I always tell him I’m his friend. He says, “you have to be you are my wife”. He does have a guy who calls him once in a while. Gary says he only wants to talk about himself and isn’t interested if Gary tries to initiate a conversation. As long as the conversation is about, let’s call him Fred, then all is fine. He will hang up if Gary starts talking about something. Is this a friend? A friend is someone you can confide in. Someone who listens when nobody else will listen to you. A friend is someone who will sit in a jail cell beside you because you are their friend. A friend is someone you can tell a secret to and know that it will not go any further.

It makes me sad to think Gary doesn’t have that. He does have one in me. 

I Love Friends

Being a woman, I have a small circle of friends. I talk to one of them on a daily basis. One of my other friends who lives in the same city as I do meets me for breakfast once a month. I’d be lost without friends. There are different kinds of friends. There are work friends. People you see when you work but do not do anything socially with them. There are friends you may talk to once a year because they live a distance away. 

Friends are an important part of being social. Gary does have people who come over and shoot pool with him. One of them is a neighbor and the other ones are relatives. They get together in the heated part of our garage and shoot games of pool for fun and money. 

My Son Has Friends

Maybe men just don’t have friends? Am I wrong about this? My son has friends. He has friends that he goes fishing with. He’s known them since he was in school. They go duck hunting together, go for motorcycle rides. So that shoots down the theory that men do not have friends.

Gary has people who only call him if they need something or want to borrow something. Those are not friends; those are people who use you. There is a big difference. Users are losers as far as I’m concerned. They do not consider Gary a friend if the only time they call him is when they feel he can do something for them. That is not a friend. 

Friends listen, they get you. They tell you the truth. They don’t sugarcoat things. Friends are loving, giving and ask nothing in return. 

We All Need Friends

Most of all friends provide you companionship. They boost your happiness and reduce your stress. They forgive you for mistakes because nobody is perfect, and they share everything with you.  They simply make your life better. They are there to build your confidence and share your success. They can boost your ego and offer physical support. Friends do not malign you behind your back. Provide negative energy or stand you up for a lunch date. Friends are always there.

So, I feel sad for my husband when he says he has no friends because he is missing out on a big part of life. The comradery, the laughs, the get-togethers. The looks, the nudges, and the unstoppable giggles. 

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I for one am glad I’m a female with friends. 

Life would be lonely without them.