You make a great case for the breadth and depth of friendships. Both are important - a handful of close salt-of-the-earth friends - those ride or dies that mean the world to you... and your extended friendship network who still mean a lot to you but perhaps you are not as vulnerable with and don't get to experience your heart as your inner circle do. Being involved in some broad friendship groups protects against isolating factors. Communication is always key... and once you assess where someone fits in your friendship circles, you can set expectations more clearly in both directions.
I dropped in from Dreemport this evening.
RE: I Thrive on Friendship Variety