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

Our friends have a great impact on our lives. Whethe good friends or bad, they can give us insight into ourselves and teach us about how to treat other people.

Working in a high school gives me a lot of opportunity to observe how friends affect each other over time. Although I don’t often see students interacting directly with their friends, I do notice a relationship between a students behavior and the friends they keep.

Good people continue to amaze me, every time I meet or interact with a genuinely good person it changes my whole perspective for the day (or longer). Even more so is the case when the person is in his or her teenage years, and the humaness flows naturally and freely. What makes this person even more precious is when he or she is an honest and trustworthy friend.

I came across this quote about the effect such friends can have on us:

Associate with well-mannered persons and your manners will improve. Run around with decent folk and your own decent instincts will be strengthened. ~Stanley Walker

While the phrase “The friends we keep” can lead into a discussion of the affect our friends have on us, it also makes me think about the friends that I have who I have not kept in touch with well over time.