Friends

Through the years, as our life unfolds, the definition of the word ‘friend’ continues to evolve.

When you’re little, it’s your best buddy that you race Hot Wheels cars with. Then, later, it means the guys you run around with and sit with at football games and joke around with in the lunchroom in high school. Or, it becomes a BAD word when a girl you really like tells you she’d just like to be…’friends.’

Early in a marriage, it tends to be the young couple that you are really compatible with and later, it’s the couple who has kids the same age as your’s. As the kids get older, you tend to be friends with parents of kids who share similar activities as your own kids – scouts or sports and so forth.

In the 90s, it was the title of a popular NBC sitcom.

In the modern era, the word ‘friend’ is also associated with the online phenomenon called ‘Facebook.’ The term can be used as a noun (he is one of my Facebook ‘friends’) or a verb (she ‘friended’ me on Facebook). For those who are fairly active with Facebook, I think your ‘friends’ are an assembly of people you’ve met along the road of life – a sort of modern/virtual version of that 1950’s show, “This is Your Life.”

I find it to be a very pleasant experience and a great way to stay in touch with people.

The other day, one of my Facebook friends – a guy I went to elementary school with – posted one of those fun little Facebook activities you see from time to time. Answer this question, post it and I’ll do the same.

This one read, in essence, ‘Tell me the story of how we met.’

A lot of times, I don’t pay much attention to those requests but on this occasion, I chose to participate. The results were astounding. Not only did I respond to his post (I talked about our experiences in middle school P.E. class) but I did copy and paste the request to my page. I got a tremendous response.

I heard back from people I know in the community as well as former co-workers, a former boss, another former boss, parents of players I coached in baseball and even my sister. She commented that she couldn’t actually remember when we met but that I had known her all her life. It’s definitely true (for the record, I think I met her in the living room).

And we’ve spent a lot of time together over the years since then - like at my parents’ 50th anniversary bash back in Feburary, for example!

Reading through the summary of responses brought smile after smile to my face. The pursuit was MORE than worth the few seconds I spent doing it. The return on my investment was priceless.

What’s the line from the old children’s song we used to sing? Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.

Very apt.

JG

Originally posted 11/18/2011