One of the things I wish I had done better in my life is keeping up with people who I was good friends with at some time in my life. A good, though not great, exception to that is my friend Carol who was my next door neighbor when we were in 3rd and 4th grades. I say "not great" not meaning that she is not a great friend, but meaning that I haven't done a great job of staying in touch with her. We live less than a half hour from each other and the lunch we had today is the first time we have gotten together in a couple of years. We both promised to do better going forward.
Carol
Carol and I had lost touch years ago about the time we both graduated from college and I got married and started having kids and moving every few years and she began a career as a flight attendant. Then about 20 years ago I found out through her parents that she was living in Colorado and in fact lived only about three blocks from me. By then she was married and had 2 kids and for a while we saw a lot of each other. After we both moved, in the same area, but not so close, we didn't get together as often. We both had kids with busy lives and she was also taking care of her aging parents. In recent years we have talked from time to time but life seemed to always get in the way of us getting together very often.
I am so glad we both made the effort to meet for lunch today. It was so good to reconnect and catch up and share memories of those long ago childhood years. It is so fun to spend time with someone who remembers those elaborate games of Knights and Ladies we played outside until well after dark on warm summer nights. I loved remembering my first airplane trip by myself to visit Carol and her family after they moved from Tulsa to Shreveport. There is no one who can help you feel young like an old friend.
Are you good at staying connected with old friends?
So nice to reconnect with a long-ago pal. I am not super-good at staying connected either. Glad you both made the effort. It's made me start wondering about some of my long-lost buddies.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because in the last few years I have reconnected with so many old friends and relatives I haven't seen in years it's been great
ReplyDeleteLife just gets in the way of maintaining friendships, but the reconnecting is so sweet that all those years are easily forgotten. Wonderful to hear about you and Carol catching up, renewing ties. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete(PS: Regarding your comment on my post today, I think things are very different being a long-distance grandma. It's easy to be on your "best" every couple of months! I applaud you for surviving as a local grandma! :-D )
Haven't heard of Knights and Ladies, Jeanie; how is it played? So glad you guys both made the effort to get together and have lunch! I hope it is one of many in the new year ahead!
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible about keeping up with old friends and we have them scattered all over the western part of the country with our moves. My best friend from high school found me on FB a few months back. Its been fun reminiscing on FB our friendship (she now lives in Northern California). Thing is, I can't remember half the stuff she said we did......
betty
I am in touch with my best friend from 50's and 60's elementary school and Jr. high, my '64 college roommate, my best pal from 70's divorce group and my closest friend in the workplace '80s & '90's. We have all ignored each other due to busy lives and have only recently reunited as bosom buddies. Sadly my dearest friend from 1970 to 1990 was killed in a car crash and I lament the times we skipped seeing each other, living only four houses apart. Consolation for that is her children who are my godchildren and very close best friends. Thanks Jeanie for letting me ponder this.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your fine lunch with an old friend. I try to keep in touch with my friend, Lynette, who now lives in California. She and I were classmates since 1st grade and lived near each other during childhood. We had dinner together back in April of last year.
ReplyDeleteTwenty-five years ago I lost my address book when I was moving from Oregon to Washington State. I found old friends again on Facebook. We keep up better now.
ReplyDeleteYep, today's world makes it a bit easier to keep up with those wonderful childhood pals.
ReplyDeleteI do need to make more time for more face to face meetins though...'just sayin'......
I'm so glad ya'll got to have lunch. Friends...the true treasures of life!
God bless ya sweetie and have a beautiful day!!! :o)
I try. We've moved a lot so the list is long. Facebook has really helped!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were able to connect and it was every bit as fun as you hoped it would be! I have several old friends that I am very good with maintaining contact and some that I am regrettably negligent. But we try. I guess that's one reason why I like this season -- it really does facilitate getting back in touch. And ironically, facebook!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the truth? Old friends do make us feel so young. As we get older, it is even more comforting to be with those who knew us long ago and far away. I'm glad you have reconnected. Keep on having those lunches.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to meet up with her again... I hope you two keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen a soul from my school days or when I was young in FOREVER!
I have moved too many times.
I might add... I didn't have many girlfriends as a young girl/woman. I relate better with males... weird but true.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I am starting to get better at getting on with girls again... and by girls I mean everyone young and older!
Wow. The only people I stay in touch with that long are family members.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you did too.
ReplyDeleteMake new friends, but keep the old...
one is silver and the others gold!
So true. I wish I could find Karen. We used to climb trees and run away from her little sister and dig holes to China...we are even blood sisters (o: I don't know her last name or even remember her maiden name. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteIt's always wonderful to meet up with old friends. I'm so glad you had such a good time. I should be better at keeping in touch.
ReplyDelete