ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Circle of Friends - Who is in yours?

Updated on July 25, 2017

Adding to My Circle of Friends

Its funny how our Circles of Friends change over the years. I imagine it would take some doing to think back on all the people who have come and gone out of the friendship circles in our life.

A few things happened to me recently that got me thinking about how much my life has changed over the years and the people that have witnessed all the changes. I have to be honest, not many have been a part of my ever-changing world.

Friends seem to dwindle down and fall back into the acquaintances category as we travel down lifes pathway. But good news, life doesn't have to stay that way.

What happens to cause such changes? Do we have to stay in the same circles? Will my circle of friends ever grow again or will it continue to get smaller?

Copyrighted Material by Favored1. Do not copy. Photo credit byFavored1 or Amazon unless otherwise noted. This artwork is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.


Poll: Circles in Life

Have you had many circles of friends in your lifetime?

See results

Circles of the Past - What causes friendship changes?

Buy here on Amazon
Buy here on Amazon

Lifetime of Making Friends

I received an email the other day from a friend that I haven't heard from in about 15 years. At one time she was my closest teacher friend, but things changed after we moved. Hearing from her was wonderful and I learned about the new circles she added to her life. Her path took an entirely different direction when she had children and even more circles were added to her already crowded circle. Parenthood has to allow for others to enter into the circle in order to survive, this left us pretty much on the outside of the circle.

Times and events seem to change our circles don't they? While doing some research on the web I came across a clip of Shirley Temple Black accepting a lifetime achievement award. Something she said rang true in my life and I think it probably would be the same in most people today.

"I've been blessed to have four careers." Shirley then explained what they were: "One in films (acting), a mom, Ambassador for the United States of America, and now a grandmother." With every change came a new circle of friends and some very dear ones at that.

Image by Amazon

Circles Begin Almost Immediately in Life

Childhood Circle of Friends - When adding was fun. Adding friends that is!

Image google by picture-book.com
Image google by picture-book.com

Kids Making Friends

As toddlers and young children our circles of friends mainly focused on family and those in our immediate playground group. These are some of the most inspiring circles where kids are free to love one another without outside influences.

Why did this type of circle change in our lives? Maybe the better question is, "Why did we let influences change our circle?

In be-"tween" Circles - The "Where Are They Now" List

Teenage Friends

The tween and teen years are when we often form our "BFF" (best friends forever) relationships. Some really do last a lifetime, and there are those high school sweethearts that turn into lasting marriages.

However, for the most part, sadly they are finished before we ever finish high school. Let's encourage our children to make friends while they are young to help them as they encounter all types of personalities in adulthood. Learning to understand different points of views at a young stage in life will help them form more sound relationships as they grow in their adult to senior years.

Photo available on Amazon.

Career Young Adult Circle of Friends - Who is having a baby? You're moving where? But what about your job?

Photo google by www.flickriver.com
Photo google by www.flickriver.com

Young Adult Friendships

College activities encourage friendships, but as we get serious with the issues of life these circles are rather short lived. There are those who have received their MRS degrees though, so this doesn't count in the equation. Few lasting relationships have survived past college years, but those that do are very precious.

By the time you enter into a career or marriage all the past circles become broken in some way and make way for new smaller circles to emerge. I noticed how small my inner circles were getting once I was able to zero in on my teaching "niche" as a career choice. Even inside that circle there were smaller circles depending on what you taught or if you were administration.

Circle of Friends Cookbooks - Easy & Fun Recipes to Do with Children

The Circle of Friends Cookbooks came about as a result of two ladies who wanted to be stay at home moms but they needed a source of income. I guess it worked.

After 25 years they are still going strong and their circle of recipes is getting bigger with over 200 books bearing the Gooseberry Patch name.

Look for more fun recipes and ideas on their website at gooseberrypatch.com.

Who let the "Squares" in, and I don't mean Sponge Bob?

Photo google images by blog.ivanman.com
Photo google images by blog.ivanman.com

"Squares" in My Circles

Have you noticed the shape of your circle changing?

No, the world hasn't gone square, it's just you. Ouch! Didn't see that coming in my life, and I can almost guess you didn't either.

Have you noticed there are more "squares" in your circle, and you are one of them? Somewhere our cool circle changed into a shape we wouldn't admit we'd ever be a part of - "the dreaded square!" Maybe we can just say "square-ish" and it won't seem so bad.

Life just happened. It crept up during those 30 years and kept coming until we no longer recognize ourselves as the "in group"; you know that circle everyone thinks they are in when they were a youth.

You want to have lunch with an "old" friend who is in town, but can't because little Johnny has a dentist appointment. Look at you, such a kind mom scheduling it during the day so he won't miss his karate class.

Forget going to the movies tonight. The twins have a ball game and who is going to pick up Bonnie from ballet lessons? Why you of course.

The dog's in heat, the neighbor's cat took up residence on your car, the dryer froze up and the freezer is melting everything in it.

Seems we enter into some circles by necessity during those "irty" (30 plus) years. The Fox Brothers realized that the once "macho" guys had also fallen into a circle that happened all by itself. Instead of giving in to it, they took on the challenge. Does this sound familiar? Here is a line from the chorus to the song "Squares" they wrote.

"There's a whole lot more squares these days, in my circle of friends.

The park, the zoo, and the Sunday BBQ are the place we fit in."

Listen to this song called "Squares" (in my Circle of Friends) by the Fox Brothers. It will make you feel better in your short membership in the square circle.

"Squares" in my Circle of Friends. It's number 10 on the playlist. Sorry it's not a video, but you'll enjoy it anyway.

Image credit google images

Squares in My Circle of Friends - Who let them in? We did.

From the album Fox's Grocery comes the song that almost everyone can relate to in life.

Enjoy listening to this time relevant song that will bring a smile to your face as they sing about

the simple fact that we may be a little bit more "square" than we would like to admit.

Pssst. I've got a secret!

It's Hip to Be Square (sometimes) - Especially when it comes to being a good parent. So don't worry, this too shall pass!

Permission to Be Square in Your Circle

Remastered version of a classic late 80's hit, Huey Lewis and the News found out that being square can be hip.

It's all in the way you view your circle.

Accepting your "Square Circle".

See description below.
See description below.

Circle through the Years with Open Arms

Progressing through the years we go from very large circles of friends with lots of activities, travel and relationships to small, smaller and then smallest circles.

It's inevitable and correct that as we grow better (not older) our circles of friends change along with the size of them. Who could keep up with it anyway? From the cradle to the grave we will continually have opportunities to allow people into our circles.

A well rounded person is one that keeps adding to their circles, by having friends of all ages and walks of life. Some of my neatest friends have been five year olds! They keep me laughing and grounded so I don't think too highly of myself.

Please visit the links at the bottom of this site for more understanding of various types of circles and incorporating them into your life.

Image by Amazon

Open Arms Book of Activities

With Open Arms: Creating School Communities of Support for Kids with Social Challenges Using Circle of Friends, Extracurricular Activities, and Learnning Teams
With Open Arms: Creating School Communities of Support for Kids with Social Challenges Using Circle of Friends, Extracurricular Activities, and Learnning Teams
"With Open Arms" is something we have forgotten along the way as our circles change in life. But this author hasn't forgotten and encourages us to expand our circles to include all people including those with autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders. Written by an authority in the special education field Mrs. Schlieder gives us suggestions for programs that teach social skills by using games and activities, social groups or clubs. Five star rating paperback /131 pages.
 

Open Your Circle

Circle of Pet Friends - Does your circle of pet friends keep growing?

Copyright by Favored1
Copyright by Favored1

A Little Golden Book: Circle of Friends Matching Game

A Little Golden Book: Circle of Friends Matching Game
A Little Golden Book: Circle of Friends Matching Game
Over the years our circle of pet friends may change. One thing that doesn't is our love for them. Fun and friendly matching memory board game has 24 delightful animal characters, 6 character tokens and a spinner. Play it with 2 to 6 friends in your circle and try to include some new buddies.
 

Pets Enrich Our Circle of Friends

Do you remember the first pet you brought into your home as a child? I still can’t believe I kept a garter snake hidden in my bedroom without my mom knowing it. That changed the day I brought it to church (need I elaborate?).

Some of the best circles I’ve been blessed to be a part of are those in the pet category. Through the years these precious circles have been the most loyal and loving I’ve ever known. They have also been part of the hardest ones to let go of and have left emptiness in my heart that only they can fill.

For the past eight years I have been invited into an exclusive pet circle, that of the homeless, broken and unloved. If you have been following any of my pet circles you will see how easy it was for me to want to be a part of their circle of friends. Mind you, not everyone is welcome or wanted, but when you are it is wonderful.

Click on the photo to read about these pets. Read more about becoming a Circle of Friends to a Pet on the links provided below.

Senior Circle of Friends - My wisest and funniest friends.

Photo google by phillycircleoffriends.com -
Photo google by phillycircleoffriends.com -
Homco Circle of Friends Figurine "Love One Another"
Homco Circle of Friends Figurine "Love One Another"
Adding friends to a circle should be something we seek along our life's journey. It needs to be cherished and nurtured as we grow in God's grace and love. This circle of friends figurine is a reminder of how blessed we are when love finds its way into our inner circles.
 

Circle of Wise Friends

My work and church circles intertwine and I like that. Prayer circles are a blessing, and once I even went to a sewing circle. Making large blankets and quilts didn't catch on with me, so this wasn't a circle that became one of mine. I probably should have went a few more times, "seems" (play on words) I could have used the advice with all the sewing I've been doing lately.

The hardest circle of friends is my family. Sadly the circle has been broken for many reasons. This is a circle I never even thought would grow smaller, but it has. One by one some have left this earth causing a decrease in a once very large circle.

There is a song I sing; "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" that affects me differently than it did before when I sang it in public. As long as we're here on earth, our circles of friends (even that of our family) are going to change. My comfort comes from knowing the circle will be whole again in Heaven, but while I'm here I want to have the best circles I can.

Being in ministry, traveling and writing have given me some blessings in meeting so many people. My circle of friends now extends across continents stretching far more than I could have ever imagined. I love that when my circles should be getting smaller they are in fact growing larger.


Will the Circle Be Unbroken - I really love the first version with the circle of artists that recorded this event.

[ HiFi ] Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol.2 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs and others

Will the Circle Be Unbroken [Live] Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

What does your circle of friends look like?

Smaller Circles vs. No Circles - The friends chart is ready to add your name.

Something I have taught my students is the joy of friendships. If you want to have friends, you have to be one first. Start letting people into your circle of life.

You can start really small with one or two new friends, and you don't have to share your life story with them. Just befriend someone and see how it goes.

Since there isn't a shortage of people, there isn't a shortage of friends to be made.

.

A Most Recorded Song

Will the Circle Be Unbroken on MP3 - This song has been recorded hundreds of times, by some wonderful artists. Here are a few of my favorites. Sorry, my version

Will the Circle Be Unbroken on MP3 - This song has been recorded hundreds of times, by some wonderful artists. Here are a few of my favorites. Sorry, my version

Will the Circle Be Unbroken with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and over 20 leading recording artists we love.

Gaither & Friends: Will The Circle Be Unbroken (A Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming Vol 1 Album Version)

Debate: What about those so-called circles?

Is it important to keep adding to our circle of friends?

See results

Our Circle of Love Needs to Be Nurtured.

— Fay (aka Favored1)

Never Ending Circles

Circle of Love ~ "Friends and Family"

The Bible says that life is like a vapor meaning it's fleeting, short and temporary. "You don't know what will come of tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that apprears for a little time, and then vanishes away." (adapted from James 4:14)

Embrace the good in others and learn from them. Find a circle that shares your interests and get involved.

It's your circle, only you can decide the size of it.

Circle of Love Figurine

Circle of Love ~ "Friends and Family"
Circle of Love ~ "Friends and Family"
Embracing more circles in love adds to the fullness of our lives. This crystal and procelain figurine demonstrates that God is always providing for us with His angels. We not only are His family, but He also calls us friends.. Over 65,000 Circle of Friends products from books, beauty, decor or music.
 

It's your circle, only you can decide the size of it. How about enlarging it right now?

— Fay (aka Favored1)

Love my global circle of friends!

Love my global circle of friends!
Love my global circle of friends!

I'm glad you're in my "Circle of Friends."

A Lonely World without Friends?

Would life be lonely without friends? Here are a few answers that some people gave:

Yes, life would be lonely without them.

Aladdins Cave 3 years ago from Melbourne, Australia. Since the WWW invaded Earth, our circles have become smaller. It’s now more important to have LIKES and TWITTER followers. When we get WWW funerals, those 10's of thousands of follows will attend, but only then.

Response: Fay Favored 3 years ago from USA @Aladdins Cave: Weird, just weird Gus. :)

MJ Martin aka Ruby H Rose 3 years ago from Washington State. I never thought of circle of friends like this. A few of the friends are in connecting circles, great read.

Response: Fay Favored 3 years ago from USA @MJ Martin: Thanks Roby, nice to see you in my circle.

TransplantedSoul 3 years ago. Yes - friends come and go - and you change yourself.

Response: Fay Favored 3 years ago from USA. TransplantedSoul: Agreed.

Gloria Freeman 4 years ago from Alabama USA. Yes life would be sad and lonely without them..

anonymous 4 years ago I'm always open to a new friend!

Mary Norton 4 years ago from Ontario, Canada. Yes, it expands our world view.

Ardyn25 4 years ago. Very important, as you go and change in life your circle of friends usually widens as you go along, and often I've found that I have several circles of friends that aren't connected to each other. All are a blessing.

Response: Fay Favored 4 years ago from USA. Ardyn25: So true. Different parts of my life each have a set of friends. Some connect, some don't.

Poll

What do you think? Would your world be lonely without friends?

See results

Thank you for your time. Hope you visit again soon!

Look for me here or on the web for related topics.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Google Plus.

*Note: The "RELATED HUBS" items are not mine and are not necessarily endorsed by me.

© 2013 Fay Favored

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)