Day 5 - 263 -- Lunching with Friends

The highlight of the day was lunch with a friend I haven't seen for 2-1/2 years. We keep in touch through social media, though that can be more superficial. We talked -- and talked and talked <smile>. Our lunch began at noon and we left the restaurant at 5 PM -- only because he had another commitment <grin>.  Mom used to give me a key -- whenever the two of us met for supper -- so that I wouldn't have to wake her to be buzzed into the building. She knew that I would be late no matter how early the meal started.

As I've said here before, friendship often means picking up a conversation just as if it had been a week or a day instead of years between in depth conversations. That is an amazing gift. Long conversations can be so wonderful -- by phone or in person. They bring memories, laughter and even a bit of counseling <smile>. I find them uplifting and cathartic -- like some weight is lifted just through participating in the give and take. I've not experienced this to the same degree through the written word. Long letters received in the past did help to keep updated, though the back and forth through the mail made the process much slower. Typed online messages can carry on conversations through texting, private messaging or e-mail. Again, not the same as being together. Messaging software with face-to-face capabilities can help, but I've not used these for those longer keeping in tough conversations. I may have to try that to see if it helps when geographic distances prohibit the real time lunch.

Given that the longer conversations over a meal or beverage leave me smiling and feeling less tense, I kept hearing one song. The lyrics note the non-judgmental aspects of close friendship and the reciprocity of the conversation process. Enjoy!

I get by with a Little Help from my Friends -- Joe Cocker