Lois, Cheri, Gabby, one a lover, one a friend, one an acquaintance, and all somehow involved with my life on a nearly daily basis. Lois is the lover, the person I want to share everything with and wish I had more time to spend with. Cheri is the friend, we share similar interests and have fun when we spend time together. Gabby is an acquaintance, someone I know, but if circumstances were different, not a person I would go out of my way to spend time with. Each has an individual impact on my life in their unique way.

When I spend time with Lois, I treasure every minute of it. Our time together is limited by geographical locations and various other committments. Conversation with her is easy, we can be funny, intimate or serious. We can also be silent and have that be as satisfying as conversation. Spending time with Cheri, can be fun but is not always easy. We have a lot of common interests,professional and personal, so find a lot to talk about. Cheri is a high maintenance friend, though. Our conversations tend to revolve a lot around the drama that is her life, which at times is not that interesting to me. I tend to engage in the conversation because I enjoy her friendship outside the drama and deem it a fair trade off. I am usually forced into spending time with Gabby, as she occasionally works with me, and is also my roomates' current girlfriend. Most conversations Gabby and I have are as stimulating as a slug race. Gabby needs to talk to fill the dead space, which I find exhausting.

On occasion, the four of us end up at the same social event. Lois is the person I went with and the person I want to share the experience with. We are usually are there for a token appearance, as neither of us are fond of big social gatherings. Inevitably, if Cheri is at the event, she will end up with Lois and I. Cheri is fun to be out with, but is looking for more from the event than I am. Lois and I are content people watching from the sidelines, Cheri wants to be in the middle of it all. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I am dragged from my people watching post, to being with the people. Then along cames Gabby, generally not knowing many people, begging without words, to be entertained. Once again, the relationship with Gabby, who I have the least invested in, becomes the harder than that of Lois who sits quietly aside letting the events play out or Cheri who has moved on to another place by now.

Finally, my all time favorite, running into one of these three unexpectedly. Running into Lois unexpectedly is a treat. An fortuitous encounter with her can change an ordinary day into a fabulous day. Running into Cheri can give us a chance to catch up or gossip if we haven't seen each other for a while. If I'm too busy to chat or visit, she's cool with that. No harm no foul. An out of the blue encounter with Gabby is fraught with challenges. If I don't stop to talk, she thinks I'm being rude, with no concept that I am just too busy for her dead space conversation.

Lois, Cheri, Gabby, three very different relationships for me with their own set of guidelines. Lois, the lover, at first thought would seem to be the hardest, but in comparison is often the easiest relationship. Cheri, the friend, can be difficult at times, but is mostly a comfortable realtionship. Gabby, the acquaintance, should be the easiest relationship, but in actuality is the hardest of the three.