me_irl

I'm baffled by some of the responses in this thread. Yes, it's harder to make friends in one's 20's than in the teens, and harder to make friends in one's 30's than in one's 20's.

But to act like it's inevitable, or even desirable, to not make new friendships after the age of 20 seems like overstating things.

The people you grow up with and befriend at a young age share those similar roots. That will always be valuable in friendships.

And the people you befriend later in life, through your hobbies, your career, your neighborhood, your mutual relationships also share those commonalities, and that will bring something valuable to those relationships, too. One of the most things I love about meeting, dating, and marrying my wife is that it mingled our two worlds of friends, and a lot of the friends I met through her in my 30's are now some of my best friends today.

I rely on local friends for things that require geographical closeness. I rely on fellow parents for parenting support (including favors, advice, even jokes/rants). I am close with former and current colleagues, and we talk shop, careers, people we know, and sometimes refer each other to job opportunities or other work.

There is a certain richness that comes from multiple social relationships evolving and developing over time, including repeat acquaintances, superficial friendships, all the way to very close or very intimate friendships. We're all just walking through life in different stages, and each stage has different needs and opportunities to rely on and provide support to your social network.