#1
My wife of 10 years used to work for Arthur Murray dance schools and didn’t believe he knew how to dance so she invited him and his wife over for dinner.
Boy was she wrong.
Golf buddy twirled her, dipped her, the whole 9 yards as both myself and his wife stood there with our jaws on the floor.
After going through 7 different dances with my wife, he twirled her one last time towards me and said “told you so”.
We had a great dinner and I learned something new about the 300lb Samoan that I golf with every weekend.
To learn more about the secrets that we keep in friendships, we reached out to Zencare to hear from a few of their mental health professionals. Zencare is an online therapist directory and the simplest way to find your ideal therapist. And lucky for us, three of their experts were kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about friendships.
First, we got in touch with Rebekah Ferguson, LMHC. Rebekah is a licensed mental health counselor in Brooklyn, NY, who works with adults of all ages in the treatment of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder/trauma related symptoms, religious identify conflicts, issues with self-esteem, recovery from high control groups and high control relationships, and complex personal struggles related to racial injustice.
#2
When it comes to how long it takes for a friendship to form, Rebekah says, "There are multiple factors that affect how long it takes to build a friendship. These include meaningful time spent together, level of alignment on values and interests, and opportunities for emotional intimacy and vulnerability. Some people connect instantly, and other friendships develop more slowly over time, as more of the personality of each person is revealed."
#3
I didn't say anything. She pushed.
I finally said, I never say this to people who liked her, but she was extremely abusive, and I was greatly relieved when she died. She once threatened to cut my cat's throat.
There was a long pause.
She said, mine was too.
All those years and we never shared that.
That was quite a talk.
It's amazing the things you hide. .
Rachel Friendly, PhD, was also kind enough to weigh in on the topic. Dr. Rachel W. Friendly is a queer- and gender-affirming therapist offering inclusive, culturally-responsive therapy. She works with young adults, the young at heart, and anyone seeking personal exploration and growth.
When it comes to making friends, Dr. Friendly says, "Different friendships have different trajectories. Some are slow and simmering, and then sometimes, you meet someone and you just know they are your people and you get to know them really quickly. Neither is necessarily better than the other, assuming both are built on respect, trust, and equity."
#4
The owner was this really nice old guy (mid to late 80s) who always showed up in a wheelchair being walked by his daughter.
He always rewarded his employees with bonuses for good work. he even gave me $300 once for helping cash out one of his close childhood friends.
One of the final games I worked there he called me into his owners box and gave me beer and free food as well as $1500, just to thank me for all the hard work I did for him over the years.
He told me the reason he liked me so much was because I didn't pretend to like him because of who he was. Confused, I asked him to clarify. And he asked me if I seriously didn't know. I was still confused and then he told me the truth, he was actually a Hall of Fame pitcher who played with the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia A's from the 1940s-early 1960s and even served in WW2. And showed me a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque.
We laughed about it and he further insinuated why he liked me so much.
He passed away around a year after this and I attended his funeral.
All around an amazing dude and I feel like such and idiot for not knowing who he was.
"The key to getting close to someone is vulnerability - real relationships can't form without vulnerability, so the more quickly you are able to be (appropriately) vulnerable, the more quickly that vulnerability is likely to be reciprocated, and the more quickly closeness is built," the expert added.
#5
#6
Paula Glashausser, LCSW, shared her input on the topic too. Paula Glashausser is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Los Angeles who treats individuals and couples. Many of Paula’s clients seek support to address difficulties or conflict in interpersonal relationships, life transitions, communication, and other mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression.
"Building a friendship can happen very quickly, progress overtime, or take years. There may be a spark - a connection or commonality of sorts - that helps us think, 'I can’t believe I hadn’t met this person sooner,' and feel as though they’ve been your friend forever," she shared.
#7
"There are also those friendships that can take years to build that require work to stay connected. I think that what matters most in a friendship is the foundation that it’s built on, as well as how much effort each person contributes," Paula says. "The bottom line is that, in any relationship or friendship, we continue to grow as individuals, and hence, in our friendships as well. We are all forever evolving."
#8
We also asked the mental health experts why so many people keep secrets from their close friends. "It is important to normalize boundaries, even in friendships, and it is up to each person how comfortable they are in sharing information about themselves," Rebekah pointed out. "Keeping secrets is not always indicative of a lack of trust in the friendship."
#9
"Boundaries are the natural limits that separates us from others, and this includes having different emotional and friendship needs. The amount of information a person chooses to share is often reflective of their level of comfort talking about themselves, their level of openness to emotional intimacy/vulnerability, and the level of emotional attunement they received from caregivers during childhood," she explained. "Also, there are aspects of oneself that may not seem important to share, however someone else may feel that it is important, so keeping in mind different perspectives and friendship needs is crucial."
#10
Knew the guy for a few years, just a regular guy. One day I met him for breakfast to find him deep in conversation with a deaf dude.
#11
“Where are you having your bachelorette party?” “Oh my family has a condo in Florida that we’ve had since before I was born, we’re just gonna chill there for a week.”
“Where is the wedding?” “Oh my dad is part of a club so we’re just going to have it there.” Looks up the club and sees that there is a dress code just to walk into the freaking building, and it costs a couple hundred dollars a month to be a part of it.
At the cocktail hour there was a vase in glass that had pretty birds on it so I took a look, there was a plaque inside that said it was donated to the club and was made in like the 1700s. Priceless art that could be seen at the Met on display in this club as decoration.
So yea, had no idea. In hindsight when she got her master’s in education from an expensive university I should have gotten the hint lol. But I mean it when I say she’s a really phenomenal person. One of the biggest hearts you’ll ever know. Just a gem of a human being.
"I think there can be several reasons behind why one may keep a secret from the people they care about. It’s possible there is fear of judgment, feelings of shame, not feeling ready to talk about it, or perhaps it’s something they want to hold on to solely for themselves," Paula chimed in.
"It’s important to remember that we need to accept people for who they are, as well as where they are in their journey. Whether they aren’t ready to share, or maybe won’t ever share, it’s their decision, and we need to respect that," she explained. "No one is entitled to know details about a person’s experiences, history, or their life that they don’t want to share. All you can do is create a safe space for that person and hope that they will feel comfortable enough to come to you with a secret."
#12
Had a friend for over 20 years. She supported me when I came out at 32. She met my partner and loved her. Was a great friend.
Then I went back to court to get custody of my children changed and she sent me a 5 paragraph email telling me that I have no right to my children as I’ll raise them in my lifestyle and they don’t need to be exposed to that. She also said I need to grow up and realize that having someone who is gay as a parent will get them bullied so I need to find a nice man and put my perverted lifestyle aside for the sake of my kids. It went on but, that’s the gist. It was vile. Full of name calling and homophobic dog whistles.
I was so heartbroken. This was my BEST friend of TWENTY YEARS and she writes me a horrible and disgusting email!
Ruined our friendship. Cutting her off was like losing a limb and it took me months to get through it. It’s been 14 years and it still hurts. I check on her through Instagram sometimes (her profile is public) but I have her blocked everywhere else.
So is it a bad sign if one or both friends are keeping secrets? "Sharing vulnerable information/secrets within a healthy friendship dynamic can certainly be beneficial in strengthening bonds, enhancing friendship intimacy, and providing a platform for more expansive relational capacity and connectedness," Rebekah told Bored Panda.
"However, if one or both friends are keeping secrets, placing a value such as 'good' or 'bad' on this dynamic is limiting. A more useful way to address it is to become curious on why one or both are keeping secrets, assess if the secret is something that could impact the other person in a meaningful way, and explore if the pattern of keeping secrets is unique to that friendship, or a more general pattern in interpersonal dynamics," the expert noted.
#13
I knew him as passionate, fun a bit eccentric but over all a good guy.
Then he suddenly took a journalist out sailing in his submarine, tortured her - killed her - cut her up and threw her overboard.
"If the secret is due to lack of trust, that could be an opportunity to further assess the nature of the friendship, the level of satisfaction in the friendship, and determine what, if any, next steps to take to address the issue," Rebekah added.
#14
My roommate and I were in the USMC together and if you aren’t married then you must maintain a barracks room. Most people take that as meaning you have to live in the barracks, but if you show up to field day and keep your room clean you can’t technically get in trouble if you decide you don’t want to stay there all the time. My buddy was married at the time so he had his own house off base, and after getting tired of the barracks life I started staying at his house more and more helping out and whatnot. We were definitely friends, always had each others backs and had similar humor, really growing close, getting into each other’s hobbies.
Well one day almost out of the blue his wife leaves him to “find herself” which is pretty f****d as they had a child together. So, buddy is now single and back in the barracks almost ready to EAS, basically get out of the USMC, so he lets his now ex-wife have custody for a few months back in their home state so he can get his s**t together to presumably work out a custody deal. Nothing too notable happens, we have a sending off party for him and he heads back home.
I spend another like 6 months to maybe a year still in, I’m pretty s****y when it comes to keeping in touch with people, so I figure he probably feels a little betrayed I didn’t reach out a whole lot during that time. I get out and move in with my parents, I saved quite a bit of money not having a car, mostly living in the barracks and eating at the chow hall, so I take a year off. Spent time with my family, didn’t have any friends really, when my buddy starts reaching out.
Every few months or so he’d say stuff like there’s a really good job here, you wouldn’t have to rent a place you could stay with me, I could stay there rent free if I looked after his kid, at this point he had him every other week, another job opportunity, you should just visit so we can hang out or whatever. I finally think to myself why not, it seems to me he’s either lonely or trying to look out for me, so fly out see his house and boom pandemic shuts down airports and s**t and I don’t have a car. So, basically become a live in nanny, but it’s not so bad we’re having fun and have each others backs again.
One day we get completely s**t wrecked drunk, happens sometimes, but he tells me something that just shocked me: I am the main benefactor of his will. Here I am thinking we’re just good friends and dudes like no you have the responsibility of making sure that whatever I have is used to help my son live a good life. Damn, that hit me right in the feels.
*Edit I had been the beneficiary of his will for a few years by the time he told me.
#15
"I think a lot of secret-keeping is about shame," Dr. Friendly pointed out. "Sometimes that shame comes from inside of ourselves, from the messages we were socialized into by our families, the media, and our culture."
"Keeping those secrets isn't necessarily a 'bad sign,' because it may not mean anything at all about the other person in the relationship. It may just take the person longer to overcome their own internal shame," she explained. "But when the shame comes from within the relationship (e.g., the other person either directly shames you or is regularly judgmental about other people so that the message is received that this secret would be shameful), then there is probably something to be examined within that friendship."
#16
Explained why my dad always got mad when i told him i wanted to become a drummer.
#17
#18
We decided to go bowling together and one of these girls, who we had spend hours a week with for years and talked about everything under the sun with, showed up with her own shoes, gloves, bag, and bowling ball and crushed us all with a near-professional score.
She had never mentioned bowling to any of us, even once, even when we were making plans to go bowling.
We were also curious if it's ever possible to know everything about a loved one, or if we'll always be holding onto some secrets.
"Having an understanding of a person's values, characteristics, and life experiences is necessary for forming an authentic friendship, however it is both unrealistic and unhelpful to expect to know everything about another person," Rebekah shared.
"There are some aspects that should be disclosed, if it has a direct or could have a direct impact on the other person, and their sense of safety (psychological, physical, etc.) within the friendship," the expert noted. "[But] an expectation of revealing everything is often rooted in unhealthy relational dynamics, where there is a high level of interdependence versus healthy autonomy, and an over-reliance on the other for support and emotional dependence."
#19
This was going on for years. He had video proof. It was unsettling to think of how easily she lied for years and years to so many of us.