The Blog Less Traveled

“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 AM that matter.” Marlene Dietrich

I was thinking of what to write about the other day and the idea of friendship came to mind. Originally, I was going to call it 3am Friends but when I googled the term, I found that someone had beat me to it. Then I googled 4am Friends and, lo and behold, the above quote popped up. I guess I wasn’t going to be too original after all.

Growing up, we make and break friendships as a normal course of events. Having moved around so much during my lifetime, short-term friendships were a fact of life. You usually have good intentions of keeping them up after you move away. You call them up or email them and sometimes make a trip back to visit. Eventually, however, the friendship just seems to fade away. It’s not that you didn’t value the friendship, but separation and your current state of affairs tends to consume you.

If you’re lucky enough, you’ll meet someone that will become a true 4am friend. You value their opinion and judgment. They’re the ones that you can say almost anything to and they won’t prejudge you. You’re comfortable opening up and feel safe in their company. They’ll listen, try to understand your problem or situation and offer encouragement or guidance, if needed. These are very special people and you should feel fortunate if you know one.

In today’s world, we seem to be growing apart from others even as the world gets closer to us. Technology brings us to all corners of the Earth and any kind of information is ours with just a few short keystrokes. When you start looking back at life, the only things that seem to have real meaning are the relationships that you’ve made with your family and friends. All the other stuff is just noise.

The next time you’re with a friend or family member, try to give them a little extra time. Are you a 4am friend?