Getting to Know You

In case some of you are not fans of broadway musicals and missed the title reference, it's a song from "The King and I" and it goes like this:

"Getting to know you,
Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you,
Getting to hope you like me.

Getting to know you,
Getting to feel free and easy
When I am with you,
Getting to know what to say."

This pretty much sums up an article I happened upon today, which happened to address one of my bigger issues that has been giving me cause to think lately.  Namely, my inadequacy at making -- and keeping -- friends.  Oh, sure, I know plenty of people but for the most part they remain mere acquaintances and are kept safely at arms length.  For the most part, this is because I can't be bothered -- there are really very few people I meet whom I really want to befriend.  But every now and then I meet someone I find truly interesting and I realize that I just plain don't know how to be friends with people.  The few friends I do have, have been around a long time and, recently, I seem to have made a few friends accidentally, despite my inadequacies.

I have been told -- on more than one occasion -- that I do not open up to people, which makes people think I'm either not interested in their friendship or that the friendship is very one-sided.  If we've been friends long enough for people to notice this, then probably I want to be friends with them -- I just don't know how.  I have no idea why I am so guarded but for my own sake, I need to learn how to share myself with others.

I need to do this, not just, as the article says, because I want to live joyfully but because I am, and always have been, lonely.  As a result of many various influences, I don't have many people currently in my life whom I consider close friends.  Lately, however, there are a few new faces whom I think have the potential to become good friends -- if I don't mess it up.  So, I'm going to keep singing like Julie Andrews and hope that you'll notice that:

"Suddenly I'm bright and breezy
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I'm learning about you
Day by day."

And even more, I hope that they will be able to say the same about me.