Years ago I remember my dad exclaiming, “I knew him thirty years ago.” He had been talking about an old friend he had known back home.
I don’t remember the occasion for his saying this. Maybe he came across his obituary.
… so much time had passed since knowing his friend.
Back then, that length of time impressed me. How was it like to look back and see three decades pass in what seems like the blink of the eye?
And yet here I am, looking from the same vantage point. I think about friends I have known that many years ago and wonder how they have fared since then.
In the last few months, I have reconnected with a friend from long ago. It happened upon the passing of a friend we had in common during our teen years. So we brought each other up to date with our children, careers and interests.
Rear-view mirror
It’s good to have so many years in the rear-view mirror. If you’re lucky you can recover the friendships from long ago and bask in happy memories that show new insights into others’ characters.
The website Our Mindful Life says, “If you have brought a childhood friendship into adulthood, you are the lucky few.”
And the writer Joseph Perry said, “Make new friends, but keep the old: Those are silver, these are gold.”
(Photo by Reem Mansour)
Enjoy this article? Get our free articles sent to your inbox as soon as they are written. You’ll also receive our free checklist:
“10 Signs that Your Aging Parent Needs Help at Home.”
Click here: sign me up for the mailing list.