Leveling Up Friendships

Just to preface this blog post: I am kinda particular about things. My room and desk are not always the neatest (my parents and roommates can attest to this). But so help me if that mess is not aesthetically pleasing...somehow. Days-old paperwork will pile up, but only in a straightened pile. Clothes strewn about will only be tossed onto one designated area. Organized chaos, if you will. Also, if I'm writing something down - in my planner, class notes, or blog entry ;) - there better be uniformity all throughout. No accidentally misplacing a "-" for a ":" or suddenly underlining a vocab term (because guess what? then I have to underline ALL of the vocab terms...) Needless to say, White-Out is one of my favorite things. Unless I didn't write on white paper. Then I just need to start all over again.

With that background, it's safe to say that I like putting things in their place. Defining things, if you prefer. Applying this slightly obsessive aspect of my personality on my social life is as (if not more) convoluted as it seems. Coming from a "gamer" family, my approach to relationships comes down to earning those friendship points and experiencing "special heart events." Becoming friends and maintaining that relationship is as simple as saying hello often and making time for those deep conversations. (The more realistic equivalent to giving a necklace you found in that mine in Harvest Moon)

There are roughly 6 stages of a friendship that I have observed:
1) The "I will acknowledge your presence with a wave or a smile"
2) The "I will say 'hi (insert name if I remember it)' when I see you"
3) The friendly conversation
4) The deep conversation or much needed emotional release
5) The first hug
6) The enthusiastic greeting that is accompanied by a hug  (because now obviously hugging is okay)

After gaining enough experience points to level up through these "heart events", I am  more than comfortable with these friends. It's spectacular. It's as if suddenly, you've unlocked the ability to see someone's full beauty. Really love them for themselves.There are no more reasons to obscure true personalities or whimsies. And that wonderful vulnerability is mutual. Knowing that you can be completely open with someone else is fantastically relieving. No longer do you have to censor or hide parts of yourself.

The worst part about both gaming and life is that sometimes you don't get the "best ending." Your efforts weren't good enough, so you don't get to see an experience's full potential. Whenever I meet someone new, it's interesting to see how our storylines play out. Are we main characters together, or forever meant to be walk-on roles?

Unlike video games, life doesn't give you multiple save files or the ability to pause or start over. This is the one shot we got. So strive for those "best endings." The most rewarding friends and relationships that you may ever have might just be one hug short.