Old Friendships

I am sure I will feature the theme of friendship multiple times over the course of the year. Each time I will depict a different description of friendship and it’s importance. Today I will be discussing friendships that do not need to be actively maintained, but when reintroduced, are as if no time had ever passed.

I believe some of the best friends you can have are the friends where distance does not matter, where silence does not matter, and when you are back together things feel effortless. I believe I have a lot of friendships like this and I am thankful for these types of relationships. A majority of these relationships persist because of shared memories and experiences we look back fondly on.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I have caught up with 4 such friends. It had been years since I had seen them and we only had sporadic communications during the in-person absences. That being said, after quick “catch-up” conversations it was as if no time had passed. With all 4 of my friends, we brought back old stories and old memories we shared together, and also discussed where our lives had evolved. The old stories discussed always help give a perspective of what we used to share while the new life updates show everything that has happened since.

I recognize as we get older our social groups generally get smaller. I recognize the number of friends we have day-to-day conversations with inherently also decreases as this happens. At the same time, the amount of people we have shared memories with does not decrease. If those shared memories and experiences are strong enough, reconnecting with those people is a welcome change from the normal interactions we have.

I also understand how difficult it can be to hang out with someone you have not seen in a long time. Feelings of doubt creep in as you wonder what you will talk about since you have been apart for so long. From my recent experience, it is very clear any awkwardness quickly dissipates and the joy of the relationship emerges. I feel it is important to make the effort to see friends you have not seen in a long time if you are in the same area. You won’t regret it.