When people are friends, just like an old married couple, disagreements are bound to crop up sooner or later. The more people involved, the more likely there will be arguments and little resentments.
Once, a friend of mine shared a story about how they celebrated New Years Eve with their friends. Typically, three families would celebrate together at one of their homes, but last year one of the families declined and chose to spend the night at her parents house.
So, the remaining two families agreed to split the festivitiesspending part of the night at one household, and then heading over to the other. As usual, the food and drink were bought together, with everyone pitching in equally to cover the costs.
Everyone gathered and brought their children along. They sat around the table and enjoyed each others company, chatting and laughing until midnight. Then, they noticed the hosts begin to tidy up, washing dishes and putting leftovers away in the fridge. At first, no one really understood what was happening, but when the host rolled out the hoover and began vacuuming the living room, the message was loud and clearit was time to head off. Thats a rather blunt hint, isnt it?
Curiously, when they later went to the other friends home, no one seemed in any rush to call it a night. They stayed up until dawn, eating, drinking, and enjoying each others company.
I suppose the hoover trick did the job for my friend, but at the end of the day, its good manners that make all the difference. Perhaps, the most important lesson here is that courtesy and a bit of understanding go a long way in friendshipafter all, a little kindness can keep even the strongest bonds from fraying.
