I’ve got good friends -some go back to my boyhood. The thing with old friends is that they’ve been around you long enough to know all your faults, and still like you anyway. That’s worth something.
After high school, most of my friends left my home town to find work and pursue careers. It was harder to stay in contact those days. Long distance phone calls were pricey. I actually wrote letters -on paper, with ink. A bit later I got a portable manual typewriter and wrote my letters on that. Not many guys took typing class back in the 70s. Out of a class of 40, there were only 2 guys. I thought it’d be a useful skill to have. Since was handwriting wasn’t all that great, being able to type letters to friends was a huge time savings.
Now it’s easier than ever to keep in touch. Long distance is cheap. Skype is basically free, as is e-mail. It’s easier to keep in touch with your friends.
While modern communication is great, it’s still no replacement for physically getting together. That what’s often missing in today’s world. It takes a higher level of commitment to physically get together. You can’t just zip off a e-mail or a Facebook comment, or lord forbid, a tweet.
It takes effort to coordinate schedules. People have to travel. You’ve got to put your pants on before leaving the house. There are all kinds of hindrances to being in another person’s physical presence.
It’s worth it though. Once you’ve been around the block a few times, you know who your real friends are. Friendships that survive the ups and downs of life are true treasures. It’s one thing to have friends when you are up, but to still have friends when you are down and out is a rare and wonderful thing.
-Sixbears
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Old friends have a way of slipping through the cracks, dying, or just drifting if a person isn't careful. But if you manage to stick around long enough and stay in touch you'll find some of them came through in the crunch. Others will manage even after half-a century knowing them they were never really friends.
ReplyDeleteNever know until it's put to the tough test and allowed to age. I couldn't have gotten through some of the years since my Y2K choices if it hadn't been for some of mine. But my partner in the venture, among the best friends I ever had, despite all the forgiving I had to do later, dropped the ball completely, lied through his teeth about some important issues, then promptly died. Still, I'm proud to have known him.
Hope you hold on to yours.