PRECIOUS METALS

Make new friends but keep the old,
One is silver and the other gold.
I remember singing this song in 4-H. As a teenager, I could not imagine not being friends with the people that I adored. How could we not be close? We would never ever stop being amigos. Silly me. Life intervenes and the connections either wither away or get severed. I still grieve for the loss of some of those connections.

Fortunately, I still have a smattering friends from high school. I lost track of a few of them but we reengaged communication. I’ve only had constant contact with one, Sally. Her husband is rather controlling so we haven’t been as close during the past five years. Facebook reconnected me several people including Lilly. She and I were born just days apart and our parents became involved in the same arts-n-crafts activities when we were two. We lived in different small towns but stayed in touch until she married a nasty guy. I was the godparent to their child until their family moved and communication ceased about 20 years ago. Last year Lilly contacted me via Facebook and I was happy to Friend her. Thankfully, she is doing well and I hope to see her the next time she is in Minnesota.

A few weeks ago I was watching a national television news show. I recognized the person featured in the story as the sibling of a college friend. Kelly and I were good friends and I was sad when she dropped out and moved away. Alas, we lost touch. Looked up the sister on the Internet. Took a risk and sent an email to the sister asking her to forward the message to Kelly. I added a postscript apologizing if I had the wrong person. I am 90% certain that I have the correct person but the memory gets a bit foggy after 25 years. I haven’t heard back, yet.

People change over time. I am hopeful that I can reunite with some of the good people in my life. I know enough to keep developing new relationships. I joined several Meetup groups and am starting to form friendships. It takes a lot of time and energy to determine if you are compatible with another person but delightful to locate a kindred spirit. As an introvert, I expend a lot of social energy at the when working full-time and have little remaining. Searching for a job is very socially isolating so I have made a concerted effort to have face-to-face contact with humans at least once per week. www.meetup.com provides that opportunity if I don’t have anything planned with friends. It is imperative to get out of the house. I love my cats but they aren’t very conversational beyond, “Give me a treat.”

Face to Face.
© 2012 Ima B. Musing