Old friends...

What is it about some friendships that just never seem to get stale? While some friendships, regardless of their longevity, seem to need constant care and grooming, these old friends see you as the same person they knew when the friendship was young and vibrant.


My wife and I just recently had a fantastic dinner with some friends whom we have not seen in almost a year. Prior to that it had been nearly two years...and yet they were as familiar, as close and as comfortable as in the years we spent in close proximity. Was it the experiences we shared when the friendship was young?  Is it the common interests or ties we share? I don't know what it is but it is undeniable, some friendships just have staying power. Some friendships can span a lifetime, with such minimal effort that you run the risk of taking them for granted, but please don't make that huge mistake. They are like the tent stakes that keep all four corners on the ground when the storm hits. You may not notice the tent stakes when the weather is calm, but you sure would if they weren't there when the winds came.


Good friends don't need constant grooming. They don't need "dressed up" for and they don't expect to always see you at your best (although they do bring out the best in you). They make you instantly feel like yourself, even after months of forgetting who you really are. They believe your crazy stories and more important, they believe in you.


Even more impressive, these friends make you want to reciprocate all of these things to them, thus making you a better person and friend in return.

I have thousands of acquaintances in my life; I have hundreds of friends and dozens of good friends and just a few really good friends. Those few know who they are. Some are new to my life; some have been in my life for years, some decades. All are loved.


Life is too short to live without them.


A year is too long to go between seeing them.