An Old Friend

"The best mirror is an old friend." - George Herbert

Lifelong friendships. Not everyone is lucky enough to have them or enough of them. Relationships with people we literally have grown up with have been there with us over the years. A shared bond with someone who is always there for us, whether we know it or not. Our best friends are sometimes like stars; you don't always see them, but you always know they're always there. I have been blessed to have some lifelong friendships like this.

Sometimes I feel the need to take a sabbatical from social media and won't log in for extended periods. There are periods when I get engrossed in it and then periods when I don't spend much time on it at all. After my last extended social media sabbatical from 2015-2020, I decided to log on to see what I might have missed. 

I had noticed I had recently been tagged on a post from an old friend. It was an older picture of us from 2013 of a lifelong friend, Paul. We had run into each other when we were at a pumpkin patch with our kids.

In the post, Paul wrote, "Those who grew up with us on Beacon Hill know that this picture represents 5 decades of great friendship. We became best friends when we were in grade school. Whenever you saw one of us, you saw the other. We are busy raising our kids in 2020, but we still never miss a birthday or a Christmas morning without checking in with each other. True Friendship Endures!"

It's been said that everlasting friends can go long periods without speaking and never question the friendship. These types of friends pick up like we just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it has been or how far away they live, and they don't hold grudges. They understand that life is busy, and we all get caught up in it. But they know deep down you will ALWAYS love them.

Take time to rekindle past relationships, and take advantage of opportunities at work or among your neighbors and colleagues to expand your friendship base. People need to feel that they are a part of something bigger. We all need to care about others and be cared for by others in return.

Close relationships, more than personal satisfaction or one's view of the world as a whole, are the most significant factors in happiness. If you feel close to other people, you are four times as likely to feel good about yourself than if you do not feel close to anyone. 

In life, you will realize there is a role for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you, some will love you, and some will teach you. But the ones who are truly important are the ones who bring out the best in you. They are rare and exceptional people who remind you why it's worth it.

Friendships are the most essential ingredient in this recipe of life. Reflect back on your life. Take the time to remember those who were there for you and have touched your heart over the years. Take the time to renew an old friendship, enhance an existing one, or make a new friend today.

Make today great!

Curtis

"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." - Henry Ford