Interesting post Cosmic…thanks for sharing. I think your valuable perspective is definitely governed by being an introvert and how it has played a role or not into deciding how much energy you invest into “friendships”….

As an extrovert—I easily invest in all sorts of relationships (close and not close). However I don’t use the word “friend” loosely….I will always use adjectives:

Childhood friend
Work buddy
Close friend
Soul mate
Sister friend
My friend’s friend
Spouse’s friend

—so I try to put it into context. I would never classify all of the above as “friends”—yeah no. That’s I suppose those who wish all of them to be the same—perhaps is my wild guess? ;-)

Keep well!! Thanks for the reflection!