Make enemies slowly and friends even slower.
There is 1 friend that who became a friend almost immediately, and we've stayed friends for 40 years. Another friend took about a month of casual talking at the school bus stop, but "instant" friendship over our first breakfast. I prize these two women beyond belief. I literally would not trust them with my life because if they failed the grief of failing would be unbearable for them (not being swellheaded here, they're that kind of person).
There are others that I hold at a distance for quite a while. Two I can think of. One is my temporary AA sponsor and another has a handicapped child, but the mom carries a lot of emotional baggage. I'm not saying they won't be friends, but I count them as acquaintances.
About the sentence I opened this post with, losing a friendship hurts a lot, so I go slowly in making them.
