Friendships
The phone rang a few weeks ago and as I lifted the receiver, it was a voice I had not heard in some time -- a friend from college. Although too much time has passed between our phone calls, it was as though we’d just spoken the day before. We traded stories about our families, our jobs and everything that had happened in the past year or so. We were together constantly during college years, in each others’ weddings and had babies just a month apart, sharing the excitement of first-time parenthood.
But, with busy families, miles between us and…life…we lost track of each other and time just passed.
Although too much time has passed between our phone calls, it was as though we’d just spoken the day before. We traded stories about our families, our jobs and everything that had happened in the past year or so. We picked up right where we left off.
It was a similar experience when I received a phone call from a close friend from high school. We hadn’t spoke in at least 13 years. There was no falling out, no great distance. In fact, the fading out of communication had been very anticlimactic, really, as we both could recall. Somewhere along the way, someone didn’t return a phone call. A week passed and then a month. Soon, it was years. As we spoke, though, it was like we’d just missed a phone call, a minor blip on the screen of a friendship. So much to talk about, so much to say. It’s amazing how much time you can spend on the phone and it is as though the conversation just began. An easy, comfortable exchange of daily minutiae, life stories and things in common.
That’s the beautiful thing about true friendships. Regardless of the span of time or the circumstances that keep you apart, you can pick up the phone and pick up right where you left off. There aren’t a lot of relationships like that in life, but when you find one, it is a treasure.
I’ve made a few friendships in my adult life that are much the same. We might not talk everyday, we might e-mail occasionally or talk in passing, but you leave the conversation feeling the warmth of a deep friendship that won’t fade regardless of the days, weeks or years until you talk again. These friendships are the constant in life and worth more than I can adequately describe with words.
I think my lesson in this is not to be so cavalier with these friendships that transcend time, that outlive seasons. Friendships, even carefree ones that seem bigger than us, do require attention and care. I think I’ll work to be a better friend so that years don’t have to pass before we catch up again.