Friday night, I experienced a feeling of happiness that I have not felt in a long time. I was glowing, smiling ear to ear. After months of chaos and sadness, I felt normal, and it was wonderful. It seems like I’ve written a lot about friendship, but there is still so much about it that I haven’t even touched on. This weekend was proof that my friendship philosophy of quality over quantity is definitely the right way to go, and even greater proof that true friendship withstands the tests of time.
As much as I love every single one of my friends, there’s something different about the ones who have known me the longest. There’s a feeling of comfort and familiarity with someone who you’ve known since childhood. You’ve watched each other grow up, and been there through the different stages of your lives. You truly know each other.
I’ve learned that long distance friendships are much like long distance relationships. They require time and effort on both ends, and they are often more challenging than we expect. Some friendships can’t endure time apart, but the good ones, the true friendships, can make it through anything, no matter how many bumps in the road they may face.
Jamie is one of my oldest friends. We met at temple when we were little, and it was in middle school that we became close friends. When I moved to Long Island, she was really the only one who made the effort to keep in touch. We saw each other a few times, and talked on the phone, and online. Despite a couple of minor bumps in the road, our friendship has survived.
Now, we are finally in the same city again, and on Friday we spent the most time together that we have in a long time. Sometimes, when you see a friend after a long time apart, you’re not sure how it’s going to be. But, for us, it was like nothing had ever changed, no time had passed, we were right back where we had left off. We still understand each other, we know each other so well, and it was great to finally spend time together again.
On the roller coaster of life, it’s our friends who keep us grounded. It’s definitely great to meet new people. Some of my closest friends are the ones I’ve met over the past few years. But, I’m reminded of an old Girl Scout saying, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.” You can make as many new friends as you want, but don’t forget about the ones who have been there all along. This is why I’m such an advocate for appreciating the people in our lives, and not being afraid to tell them what they mean to us. For that reason, I plan on sending Jamie the link to this post, so she knows how happy I am to have her in my life again.
Quality over quantity. I may not be in touch with anyone else from the town where I grew up, and though it still makes me a little sad, I would rather have one great, enduring friendship than a hundred less meaningful ones. We always say we don’t know what we’d do without our friends, so contact an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while, make the effort, so you never have to find out what life is like without them.
