[technothrasher]

I'm not sure I see the time spent with "let's catch up" friends as a sacrifice. I find it as a time to break out of my routine, get a fresh perspective on the things I'm doing, and offer the same to the friend I'm meeting. It's like a mini-vacation to go to dinner with someone I don't usually see.

The "always there to help" friends are valuable to me as well, but they're a larger part of my every day life, more like extended family, and so usually can't get me that "get out of my life and look back in" sort of interaction I can have with friends I have to break routine to go see.