We all enjoy the company and companionship of our local friends. I love my friends and neighbors. We spend time together almost everyday. That’s an advantage of being retired. And, it is more important for older folks than younger ones. You see, when you are young and going to work you are surrounded by people. You talk to your co-workers on breaks and at lunch. Sometimes you may even stop by a coffee shop or restaurant after work to continue a conversation started earlier in the day.
But, when you retire do not have the same interaction with people you do when younger. Of course, I am not complaining! I enjoy being able to pick and choose with whom I spend my time. Maybe it is because time becomes more valuable as you age. Anyway, I am really thankful that I no longer have to spend eight hours a day on a job with someone I really didn’t care for — or even like. And, yes! There was one of those in the office where I worked. I still roll my eyes when I think of her.
As a retired person, I enjoy my local friends and neighbors. However, I absolutely enjoy my long distance friends — one in particular. He has been a friend from 17 years. Oh, my! It is hard to believe that I have known him that long! Anyway, he moved away from here a few years after we met. Who can explain why we kept in touch? I don’t know. We just did. And, for some 14 years now we have kept in touch, either by phone or by an occasional visit.
Thank goodness for cell phones and the advent of long distance calls being virtually free. Sometimes my husband will talk with this friend for about an hour before I take the phone. Then, we will chat on for a while.
I guess this man qualifies as a very special friend. Think about it. Most of us tell our neighbor who is moving away that we will stay in touch. Sometimes we write or call for a while. Then, over time we begin lose our grip on a special friendship. This fellow is special. He’s like family. In fact, he is better than family in some cases. We choose to keep in touch. It is not a sense of obligation or duty that motivates us to ring up one another. It is that we really are friends.
If I could have a wish today for everyone, it would be that everyone have a long distance friend. There is something really special with those relationships. So, today I am thankful for my family’s dearest long distance friend.
