When I was a teenager I had a friend in the village who I could talk to. We remain friends to this day but seldom see each other unlike in those days. Being too young for pubs and too full of energy and ambition to sit quietly we would wander the streets. We would sometimes wander the streets of other villages too since we had been walking for that long. I would fill these walks with talks of various crushes and soul searching. My friend would listen and offer thoughts like a councillor which in many ways he was. He was from family of parents who were still together and I respected his family for that and made his advice seem all the more valid. My quest for settling down would take the time for meeting up out of the equation. Friends take a back seat since " You can't shag your mates". Girlfriends become the most important thing and mates second. Well if anything is to change this year I hope I can have my friends back, just without the acne and angst.