Everyone needs friends. And I’m not talking about the folks who have clicked on your Facebook friend button. To me, a friend is somebody that you actually call up and talk to. Somebody who you meet for a drink, or go out and do something with. Somebody who you actually spend time with, face to face. In other words, a classic friend, not an online e-buddy.
I was in Philadelphia the other day, and as I was driving through, I noticed an unfortunate man, trying to stay warm, wrapped in several blankets and huddled in a large cardboard box under a bridge. It was a tragic, pathetic sight. Then the light turned green, I lingered a bit too long, the horns started blowing and I was on my way. It saddened me to realize that there wasn’t much I could do, at least not right then.
I wondered though where that man’s friends were. How could they let him get to that point? Surely somebody in his past cared about him. Surely they wouldn’t let him become homeless if they knew of his plight. It then dawned on me that, for whatever reason, he probably didn’t have any friends.
And that thought, as much as the hunger and the cold, defined his plight, to me at least. It was a very scary thought indeed.
I can’t envision a life without friends.
Of course, not all friendships are forever. People—and their relationships—evolve over time. Change is inevitable in the universe, and people change constantly, as long as they’re alive. Sometimes these changes are slow and deliberate; sometimes they are fast and dramatic. But the change in our lives is inexorable and continuous. Until we move on from this life to wherever it is that we go.
I guess that’s why I’ve become so passionate about reconnecting with old schoolmates. I really enjoy—I thrive on it in fact—the process of forming new friendships with people I really didn’t even know back in the day, or of rekindling old friendships that have fallen by the wayside.
It’s both fascinating to see how people have evolved and healthy to reconnect with them. We, the human species, need this kind of continuous connection. Without it we wither, and ultimately die. And it’s a long, sad process while it’s happening.
Sometimes I like to look at life like those long moving sidewalks you see at the airport. As you’re walking along next to one—I never ride them, I need the exercise frankly—a steady stream of people passes you by. More often than not most people don’t really take notice of who is riding along next to you. I usually do.
Life is the same way. A steady stream of people is constantly moving along with us. Sometimes we notice them, often we don’t. I make it a point to notice as many of them as I can.
People enter our circle, become our friends for a bit, and then life carries them on, to other places and to other friends. But there are always other people to take their place, if we let them. I am always starting new friendships as I’m losing others.
This is why I’ve become so passionate about reconnecting with schoolmates from the past. Some of these folks I didn’t even know when I was in school. Now we reconnect and come to find that we share the same interests or maybe live in the same town, or even work for the same company. Whatever the reconnection brings, it’s always fascinating—and always enjoyable.
For me, this is a lot of fun. I will also say it again—we need to do this. It’s part of living a healthy and happy life.
I graduated from high school in 1971, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I’ve probably reached and most likely passed the halfway point in my life’s timeline. With that in mind, I want to make every second of every day count. I want my life to be rich, fulfilling, happy and fun. Meeting up and reconnecting with old schoolmates helps me to do that.
It will help you too. Don’t be shy. Get out there and find those folks from the past that you’ve lost touch with. They’re waiting for you—they want to get together as much as you do. It just takes someone to create the spark that makes people decide to get together. I see it this way—life is a party, waiting to happen.
It’s time to get in touch with people from your past. Just don’t use your keyboard to do it.
Recent Comments