Friendships

 Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.   From Girl Scouts

Gratitude has a home in friendships. I am currently with some friends from 50 years ago, which doesn’t feel as weird as that sounds. We shared some unique experiences as touring actors, and decided to take the opportunity to visit each other, almost on a whim. Most of us are retired. We’re all “old” by some standards. We’ve met each other where we all are in life right now, while enjoying the stories of our exploits.

Friendships are vital to life. I’ve had some stellar friends, and have discovered how easily some can be lost due to name changes, life changes, or plain old inattention. Social media has been an amazing way for many to reconnect, which has been a fabulous thing! I often think about those dear people I’ve lost connection with, and continue to search for them. Meanwhile, I get to enjoy renewed relationships and catching up with life-long pals. So, Sweetie - whatcha been doin’ for the past few decades?

In my life, I’ve had similar “unique” experiences as others: births, deaths, careers tried, successes and many failures, exhilaration and extreme sadness, hobbies, favorites, all of the ups and downs inherent in living fully. I get to hear about how those I’ve known for so long have met challenges and navigated troubles, how they’ve loved, what they’ve regretted, who they are, deep down, that has never changed through all the tests. 

New friends teach me new methods and ways of living. Old friends offer the same, with the added benefit of my knowing where they’ve come from. Those who knew me so long ago are still the participants in the evolving story of me, just as I am in theirs. There is a sense of lasting meaning in that, a continuation which acknowledges the bumps in the road, but does not stop at any one of them. 

Today, I am grateful for those who have offered me the hands of friendship, hands which reach out in the warmth of recognition and love.