how many friends do you need?

my friend sent me a personality test today. it seems that all you have to do is answer 10 questions and it will be able to tell you things about yourself that you didn’t even know.

ok, fine….i am a bit lost these days and i could do with a little psychoanalysis – free of charge, of course. so, i answered the questions, worked up the total points and this is what it said:

others see you as sensible, cautious, careful and practical. they see you as clever, gifted, or talented but modest. not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who’s extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

i was so amazed at how accurate it was and how it seems to pinpoint the thing that was bugging me most. it will seem that all my efforts at pretending to be outgoing, affable and friendly are not exactly fooling anyone. all I had to do is answer 10 questions and it reveals my true character and its flaws. wow! just imagine…….my entire being is summarized into 10 multiple choice questions.

a little pitiful if you come to think of it. or maybe the pity is in its accuracy.

it’s true, i have but only a handful of choice friends. sometimes i think that my funeral will be the quietest event in the world, if these few friends outlive me. if my lifespan is shorter than only 5 people, i am going to have a problem with volunteers for coffin-bearers. is there a service to outsource this to people that you don’t know? like witnesses and bridesmaid at las vegas weddings.

i don’t even need two hands to count my friends but i feel so honoured that they love me so (errrr…..at least I think they do). since this is by choice, i have no regrets. i know, quality, not quantity……eventhough, honestly, sometimes i could do with a change of faces once in a while. i mean, how many times can you call the same handful of people before they tire of you?

mon – ms l
tues – ms l
wed – ms c
thur – mr c & mr I (which i am thinking of writing out from my books these days….which brings the number down to a very pathetic figure)
fri – ms p
sat – ms c
sun – even friends need a break every now and then

i wouldn’t be able to change this even if i wanted to. i can go out and mingle till the cows come home and i will still not be able to find a single friend. (it doesn’t help that i am not exactly ‘life of the party’ material). not that i am unfriendly, mind you. but my definition of ‘friends’ happen to be very exalted. i may spend hours talking to someone but i will still not classify him/her as a friend, just someone to talk to. snobbish, you say? more like i don’t like the feeling of being betrayed…….i guess what the last part of the description above was referring to (aren’t you shocked by now that this thing seems to know more about me that I do?)

having a friend is a combination of destiny, timing and luck.

so, i shall not complain. i am very comfortable with this group of friends, like my own skin. And i shall not give it up for the world. and i think that’s all that counts.