Growing up, I believed that having a giant posse that would be my ride-or-die crew forever was so important. I've recently realized that I only have a handful of really close friends who I genuinely trust. I've often wondered, "Is it OK to have a few close friends in your 20s?" The answer, for me at least, is definitely yes — and I'm going to tell you why, based on my personal experience.
I love having a few close friends who I know I can always count on, no matter the distance or time of day. That's not to say that I don't enjoy hanging out in large groups of friends. (My social life in college revolved around huge friend groups.) But now, I enjoy having just a handful of good friends a lot more. I love the individualized quality time that I get when I hang out with my couple of close friends, and I feel like I've been given the opportunity to build really strong relationships.
Though there are both pros and cons to only having a few close friends in your 20s, I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. The friendships I have now are the best ones I've ever had in my life.
One of my favorite parts about having a handful of close friends is that I feel like each of my individual friendships is so strong. My few close friends make an effort to see me whenever I'm in the same city as them, and those who do live in the same city as me make it a priority to catch up on the regular.
I'm truly blessed that I can call any of my friends out of the blue — no matter how long it's been since I last talked to them — and be able to pick up right where we left off.
Because each of my friendships is so strong and unique, I feel like the time spent with them is always quality time. We can catch up on all of the important things going on in our lives, but we can also spend hours together in one day without getting tired of each other.
We can have a girls' night out at a fun wine bar, or stay in comfy-cozy and watch rom-coms all night. No matter what we're doing, it's always a great time.
Though I'm an extroverted person, I've recently discovered that I don't love hanging out in large groups of people, even though I used to. Sometimes, hanging out in a large group makes me feel like I have to compete to have my voice heard, or I feel like it's easy to be ignored when there are a ton of other people in the room. Having a small, tight-knit circle of friends means that I can feel more relaxed when I have to hang out in a group setting.
I've always enjoyed a very nomadic lifestyle, freelancing in different jobs and trying out new things. These different experiences have gifted me with some really incredible friends who I wouldn't change for the world.
I love having friends from different parts of my life, even if all of them don't know each other. There's no pressure for me to get all of these friends under one roof; I can just spend quality time with each of them individually.
As I've grown up, I've found that I need more and more alone time. Though I was the biggest social butterfly in college, I'm now the kind of person who really values quality "me time" at home.
Only having a few close friends means that there's more time for me to spend on my own when I need it. But, these really close friendships also mean that I can reach out to hang out with or vent to them whenever I need to. It's the best of both worlds.
