For Old Times Sake

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about old friends. Not just the friendships but how we lose track of people in our lives. Email and FaceBook have given all of us an opportunity at second chances.

Recently I reconnected with a couple of friends I’d worked with many years ago. It was as if no time had passed as we laughed and reminisced that first afternoon we spent together. I was worried that would be it; that’s all we’d have, just those few hours for memories, but instead we planned to meet up again. The next time after a few laughs at our old selves we spent time filling in the blanks we’d missed about each other over the last few years. Before we knew it we had bridged the two decade gap and were off and running.

We spent the next few months planning a reunion for others we missed. Searching through old address books and word of mouth we sent out invites and before we knew it twenty six old friends showed up. What fun as each person walked in the door. Each one would slowly look around and laugh as they recognized the friends they’d almost let go. It was a wonderful day with lots of laughing, and making plans to do it all again.

I think the poignancy of old friendships showed up again with all of the phone calls I received from old friends of my fathers after his death. Old men in their eighties feeling the loss for their buddy, someone whom they always thought they’d keep track, their voices cracked and choked with regret and loss.

It’s been a lesson to me as I reach out to cousins and friends I haven’t seen in a long time. Everyone’s lives go in different directions and I know we’re not meant to keep up with everybody, but most of us have someone out there who we wished, for whatever reason, we would have stayed close to.

So open up your old address book, search a friend on Facebook or Google someone you’ve lost track of.  Everybody is somewhere in that computer of yours. Take the time, you might just share a laugh.

Comments

[heidi]

thank you, i've been thinking of a dear friend who i'd lost contact with and this just reminds me that i really should make the effort to find her.it's so easy to put it off.