Thanksvember: Old Friends

Day 1 of Lynnae's Thanksvember. :)

I'm actually cheating just a little bit and using an experience from a few days ago, but it totally still counts because I'm still in a good mood because of it. So stop that judging. ;)

So I have this friend. We were kids together. Cute, adorable, obnoxious little kids. We were a week apart, and since I was the older one, I never ever let him forget it (proof that the forgiveness of children is truly remarkable, because I was a little snot about it and he still talks to me anyway). I moved away when we were 12 years old, but we stayed in touch off and on all through high school and even saw each other a couple of times. (I may or may not have nursed a crush on him for a decent portion of that time... and if this friend reads this blog and didn't know that... surprise! You do now.)

The last time we saw each other was about 6 years ago, at his brother's wedding in Salt Lake. We fell out of touch after that and got busy with life, significant others, and everything. Hadn't spoken to each other in years.

But we fixed that this weekend, and that's why I'm happy.

We reconnected and reminisced a little over Facebook (make fun if you want, but I'd lost his phone number and email... see? Facebook is good for something!) and I told him if he was ever in Utah, he should stop by and say hi.

Turns out, he was down this last weekend, so I totally ditched my mom (who is in town for only this week) and went to see him.

Guess what? It was awesome. For all you could tell, it might have been 6 days instead of 6 years since we'd last talked. Some friendships aren't ever harmed by the passing of time, and he is one of those friends.

The best part is that time slowed down. After so many weeks where my days ran together and nothing stood out, it surprised me a little bit. There was one point where we were talking and I thought we must have been talking for at least an hour, so I surreptitiously glanced at my phone. 15 minutes. Not even kidding. We managed to fit so much conversation into each second that time was actually crawling by (in the best way possible). I loved it. I had something to savor. Something to hold on to. A reason to wish that time moved slower instead of simply allowing myself to be sucked along with the current. I was with someone whose conversation and companionship I valued very much, and I stopped going through the motions. It was something new (and something old, which made it that much more valuable).

Now I'm not saying that I don't have those kinds of moments with the friends I see all the time, but I needed to reconnect with a friend I never thought I'd see again to realize how special all of my friendships are. Friends are a gift. A gift that deserves to be cherished regardless of whether you see each other every day or every decade. I might have to be stuck in a routine of obligations and responsibilities, but that doesn't mean that I should treat my friends like they're part of that routine.

So yeah. I'm going to do better on that. Love you all, even if I don't see you very often.