Friendships in general

[mosaic]

over my life i can think of only a handful of people that i would consider friends in the way you describe. i had a best friend in 4th and 5th grade. then my family moved across the country (from Idaho to south Texas). the friendship didn't survive the distance.

i didn't have another real friend until after i had been married several years and my husband got stationed in Japan (he was in the air force). there i met a friend at church and we were very close.
our friendship has continued to a degree, but of course, being military, we would get stationed somewhere else, and now we have sporadic contact via email, snail mail or facebook. so it's not the same kind of friendship as it once was.

on our second tour in Japan i made another good friend. we were in contact even after we got transferred to maryland, until she suddenly passed away. it was a terrible loss.

the only other person that was a friend now has dementia, and doesn't really remember me.

i have a ton of acquaintances at church, but no one that i could hang out with the way you describe. i ache for that kind of friend - it has been a rather continual ache for my whole life.

i do feel blessed that i am very close to one of my sisters and she only lives maybe 3 miles from me. even then, i wish i had a friend.

when i worked in an office i enjoyed the social aspect of interacting with my coworkers but never made deep friendships with them.

hmmm.... i guess this is to say even strong introverts need friends, and it has been something i have struggled with.