Define Friendly

"Your so friendly."

The echo resounds

over and over inside cards, and out of the corners of friends mouths.

What is friendly?

Dictionary says:

Friendly:friend·ly adj

1. characteristic of or suitable to a relationship between friends

2. tending to be beneficial or favorable toward somebody or something

3. not antagonistic toward or in conflict with another

4. with a pleasant welcoming atmosphere

5. not played or undertaken in a fiercely competitive mood

6. safe or easy to use or operate or easy to understand (usually used in combination)

adv

in a manner that befits friends

What does this mean to me?

I am not sure. Am I "tending to be beneficial or favorable" to random people because I am that way, or am I that way because people expect me to be?

All questions of value.

But the answer lies within me, somewhere beyond school functions. To when I am leaning on the counter at Sams club. A man leans over, also exasperated with the slow pace of the employees. He turns and hesitantly smiles at me. I can tell he does not want to annoy me, and in that single instance I take in the slightly stained coat, the mixture of worry and laughter lines that are engraved onto his face, and his calloused hands that hold a worn wallet.

I smile back at him, and allow my smile to fill my entire face. He looks surprised yet pleased at my enthusiasm. Then my mind finds questions to ask him on its own accord, and in no time we are swapping story after story. I question his education, his children, and his garden. Our conversation meanders over the economy, and the weather. We discuss and laugh over youth and how it is wasted on my age group. He confides his slight worry that his grandson is dating a "floozy." We gab until both of our picture packets are handed over to us by a sleepy employee and then nod our farewells.

My friendliness is not conformed to society. It delves out of my eyes at the slightest hint of a smile, and it lovingly whispers clever questions in my ear. No matter who I become, or where I end up- I know for certain that it is a part of me.