Old Friends

I sort of go with the flow, keeping old friends but gathering new ones along the way.  The trouble with that is that I often don't make too much of an effort to keep in touch with the old ones.  I guess I assume they'll always be there but that's not wise of me.

Shelley always amazed me when she'd be the one who made that effort to draw as many of her old friends together when she visited back home.  They'd all have a wonderful time reminiscing about their school days and filling everyone in on what was happening right then in their lives.  

In my latter years, I find that spending time with old friends means more and more to me.  It's nice to have a history together that we can yak about.

I had lunch with Norma today and it was just great.  We've only been friends for about 15 years and have spent very little time together.  When we do, I wonder why in the world I wait so long to see this terrific lady.  

I often wonder what some of my childhood friends are doing and regret not keeping in touch.  They've drifted away into marriages and changed surnames so they're not easy to find.  Now, if I'd made the effort years ago, we'd probably still be in touch.  If only!

As we get older, we lose some of our friends to distance or death, so it's important to hang on to those we love.  I've met seniors who lived only for their husbands and never made outside friends.  When they lost their husbands, they were lost and lonely.  Friends, good friends, make our lives richer and more interesting.

I was discouraged from having friends outside the family when my husband was alive so now I've found a whole new and wonderful world full of good friends that make my life a better one.  Our paths and interests might not be the same but we seem to meet on some middle ground that agrees with both sides.  Having the computer to keep in touch with friends who live far away also helps.  I'm not much of a telephone person but e-mails suit me just fine most of the time.

Some old friends I see only on Facebook because age and distance has become a barrier.  Even so, it's pleasant to keep in contact even that way.

One thing that saddens me in a way is that I've met a few ladies here in my apartment building who are very nice but their lives wrap around playing cards every day and sometimes twice a day.  That's not anything I care to do.  When I'm in Florida, I play cards 4 nights a week and enjoy it but that's just through the winter.  None of us are serious players and I go for the laughs more than the games.  It's also a wonderful group of ladies we play cards with.

My plans for when I don't winter in Florida are to go to the senior center 3-4 days a week but more for crafts than cards.  I won't be staying home and feeling sorry for myself, that's for sure.  And I bet there are people I'll meet who are future fun friends, too!