Distance Runners Don't Need Friends

I've never had many friends.  Those few friends I do choose to include in my life I select very wisely.  I know the importance of surrounding myself with good people who share my beliefs and morals and whose presence is uplifting.  You become like those who you spend time with and associate with.

We've all heard people worry about their loved ones "hanging out with the wrong crowd".  Why?  It is precisely because the influence of our associates is so powerful.

I was reading the Ensign and this paragraph from one of the articles really struck me:

"Nephi tells us that those who fled into the wilderness with him were those who “believed in the warnings and the revelations of God”.  A significant source of happiness is our social circle. It is important for us to spend time with others who believe as we do and whose presence is uplifting. In addition to spending time with family members, we can have uplifting associations with friends who strengthen our faith. Those interactions and associations have a significant impact on our happiness. Christine Carter, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote, “The quantity and quality of a person’s social connections—friendships, relationships with family members, closeness to neighbors, etc.—is so closely related to well-being and personal happiness the two can practically be equated.”" -- Hank R. Smith,"What Can the Book of Mormon Teach Us about Happiness?", February 2016 Ensign

It's human nature to gravitate towards those who are similar to you.  That's where you're comfortable.  Therefore, looking at someone's social circle tells a lot about who they are. I would go so far as to say that looking at who people choose to spend their time with says more about them than what they actually say about themselves.

Choose your friends wisely. Choose to associate with those who will buoy you up, not drag you down. And always remember these wise words of my father, "Distance runners don't need friends".

That's my two cents.