Want to be friends?

Jessica and Judy met when they were six years old. Most of us remember how easy it was to make friendships at that age, with simple open intention: want to be friends? 

Adult friendship seems more complicated and less straightforward, but it doesn't always have to be. I met my friend Stephanie a few years ago and she modeled for me that some open intentionality. You seem cool. Let's get coffee. Aaaand we're friends. Now, I seek out friends in that same way, and a lot of my most important people are those I've met within the last two years. 

Jessica and Judy are modeling another important aspect of friendship: commitment. After 37 years of friendship, they've witnessed various versions of each other, as well as high and low periods. What do you think about long-term friendships as compared to other kinds of relationships? What does it mean when we call our friends "family"?