Why can't we be friends?

I've been thinking lately about friends. Should I get a new circle of friends? Why should I? For a shy, retiring type like me, my friends are a good leveler for me. In other words, they are all nuts, in their own sweet way. They're a fun, good group to be around. The shop talk we engage can't be avoided, but sometimes I disengage to protect my sanity. Otherwise, my deepest laughs are with this bunch.

I'm not trading my group in, but Michael Vick should have. This column says it best--once he became a superstar athlete, his life changed. But he still kept the circle of friends he had before fame and fortune came knocking. He moved into another orbit, well away from his friends, and maybe, at the very least, reconsidered who he hung with. I'm not saying he should have dumped his friends wholesale, but reassessed where he was, and asked himself if this is where he wanted to be.

And found another hobby, like fishing or knitting.