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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Dear Friends



My lovely wife and I had the chance to visit with some old friends on our last trip downstate. People have such busy schedules that it takes some extra effort to connect. We hadn't seen each other since a third friend's daughter's wedding. That was a year ago. Where does the time go?

It's interesting to compare how our lives are going. They appear to be doing quite well and are very much tied into the system: good jobs, house in an expensive suburb, retirement plan, medical, kids in college -the whole bit.

My wife and I . . . not so much. We have a fraction of their income, live out in the country, and our kids are older and on their own now. We've given up on the whole career thing are living in an alternative economy. Every year, we are less and less connected to the dominate system.

All that doesn't really matter. While we don't have much in common anymore, we still enjoy each other's company. Everyone is trying to get by in a messed up world.

They do seem to enjoy hearing about our adventures. However, they keep referring to “my poor wife,” who has to put up with me. She's not being dragged along. “My poor wife,” is a partner and enabler.

I think we both enjoy seeing how the other side lives. It's always a pleasure to get together and they even treated us to dinner. That was pleasant.

There aren't a lot of middle-aged folks who are still in contact with their old school buddies. (Facebook doesn't count.)

-Sixbears

13 comments:

  1. You're right about staying in contact. The only old school-mate that I'm still in touch with IS by Facebook, and he only lives across town. Some of that sort of thing is my choosing and some is chosen by others, but that's the way it is.

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    1. It's easy to drift apart as life takes us all down different paths.

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  3. You are so right. Facebook doesn't count. I have a couple friends from grammar school who refuse to do Facebook time. They still send me snailmail...my grandchildren think that's hysterical but there's something about holding a piece of paper that traveled miles carrying a dear friends words that the computer cannot yet duplicate.

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    1. Snailmail is great. That's how I stayed in touch with a lot of friends before everything went electronic. You know, I should hand write a few letters, just to stay in shape.

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  4. There is no FarceBuck for me. Just visited old uni friends last night. Don't catch up that often but that's ok with us all. It is just like 30 years ago when we do see each other. We are all busy living life, so it's no stress that it can be years between visits. It seems that the good bonds never go away.

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    1. There's something special about old friends being together in the same place. Electronic communications is better than nothing, but not a substitute.

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  5. Old HS friends are far and wide but we e-mail several times a week. All are a lot better off than we are, but Hubby and I wouldn't trade places with any of them. They couldn't live the simple life that we do; and they will never know the joys of it either.

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  6. I wouldn't mind betting that they secretly wish they could be doing what you and your poor and lovely wife are doing...
    The closest they will get to it is to have you as their friends telling them about the life you live. It's not an uncommon happening...

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    1. I bet it happens to you all the time.

      I've friends that would like to do what we are doing and could make it happen. Somehow, I doubt they ever will. Strange, isn't it?

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  7. I have stayed in contact with a lot of my school days friends. Email is a wonderful thing. . .

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  8. It is awfully hard to stay in touch in a super-mobile world. It used to be, people got established and more or less stayed in an area....but more and more often that is the exception nowadays.

    Holiday cards come back "No such addressee" more often than not these days...it is a sorrow to any season.

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