Refresh. Regrow. Renew.

" When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. "
Japanese Proverb

I have always considered myself a good judge of character. I have been wrong before but generally I can figure out the general nature of a person after out first conversation and sometimes just after Hello's have been exchanged. Well since diving into virtual friendships, I have been at a loss. Sure their online page may look great but without looking into their eyes, I cannot be sure. So I started examining their friends to help judge their character and boy was that eye opening. I have run across interesting people through various sites but when I see that the majority of their friends can't control their profanity, display graphic nudity or just demonstrate misguided attempts at shock and gossip, I know that I don't want to be connected to those lifestyles. I try not to judge these friends but I know that I don't want to be dragged back down to that pit where I used to live as a teenager either. I can't say that my friends don't have any dark areas because we all do, but the people I choose to associate with can control the darker shades of their life. At time I have felt bad for dismissing people based on their friends but when I read this quote, I felt better and began to think how influential friends can be in our life. Friends can convince to do things to improve yourself or do things that bring you down. I think that I have great people in my life who try to uplift and encourage me and I am proud to call them friends.