Gratitude: The Power Of A Bedrock Friendship

This post is about Gratitude and Friendship.

There are times when I feel like I may be the luckiest person alive. I have so much to be grateful for. One of those things is friendship. Most relevant to this post are those friendships that span the decades; those friendships that started in diapers. The ones that need nothing more than a yearly greeting, or a shared beer to rekindle completely.

You know what I am referring to. That friend where time, even years apart, melts to nothing as you reconnect; where the conversation picks up immediately from the point it left off the last time you were together. Never do you need to find things to talk about.

So deeply shared and embedded are the experiences that the recounting of them are in Technicolor. As a result of them being shared, they are recalled with an honesty and clarity that the haziness of time and memory cannot dilute or distort.

As I write this I am just returned from sharing drinks with one of these friends. Chris and I are well past four decades in our friendship. The friendship is effortless. Not that effort isn’t required, it is just that in most cases showing up and making time is all that is needed. Thanks for reaching out, as always, Chris.

I don’t have many of these bedrock friendships, but the ones I have are ones I hope I don’t take for granted. This past year I have had the good fortune to see another of these friends several times. This latter friendship is a younger one; only three decades, and change. No less important though. In this case, Christopher and I shared completely different experiences. In both cases however, the new dynamic of exposing and including our children in the nostalgia and depth of love now only enriches the experience.

Gratitude.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

Reach out to friend. Say hello, for no reason. Never take for granted a friendship that spans the decades of one’s life. Share the experience with your kids.

Friendship.

“Of all possessions a friend is most precious.” – Herodotus

Thank you Chris. Thank you Christopher. There are others, but not many. Thanks to all my friends, old and new.

Old or new, reach out to a friend today. Even better, write a letter and make the experience tactile.