Work Friends

The friends you make at work sometimes seem different then your "real" friends. You learn a lot about people when you work side by side for 40 hours a week. However, I think it is easy to discount the friendships you have with co-workers, because you don't see them any place but work. You don't hang out after work or go to a ball game or even go to church with them, so it is easy to not count them as being a part of your "real" friends circle.

I have learned that not hanging out with someone after work or on weekends doesn't mean the person isn't a "real" friend. This became very evident to me last week. A couple good "work" friends of mine were let go because of company wide layoffs. For guys that I, kind of, thought of only as "work" friends, it hurt to see them leave.

One of the guys, Chris, is a good kid (He is in his early 20's, so I can call him a kid) and I know he will land on his feet. He has a strong family support system and I am certain he will be successful in whatever his next career choice.

The other guy, Jason, is a bit older and has twin girls a little older then my son, Slade. He has worked with me for several years and I feel for him as he tries to support his family. I know that he too will be a great asset to the next company he works for and I wish him the best.

It was hard to see them walk out the door. Much harder then I even imagined it would be. Not just because I have lost co-workers that I saw every day, but because they are "real" friends that I will miss.