Reconnecting

This has certainly been the week for reconnecting with old friends for me. Had a great hour-long chat with one of my dearest friends, Ashley, last night and was working up to that point with another of my dear friends, Ely, this evening. And I may make it a point to actually return Melody's call tomorrow because I miss her a lot, too.

It makes me think about the myriad of great friends that I have and have had in this life. Most of them have worked through the years with me; I can say that those who are still around love me enough to overlook the fact that I'm a tenderheart, that I procrastinate more than anyone ever has, and that I basically never call. I might email, but I'll never call. Honestly, I've really only lost one friend that I thought I'd have around forever.

This never calling thing seems to come from my younger years. My parents have never been big on staying connected with people; I think this comes from having to pay for long distance. Everyone in my extended family was in another state (and certainly not the same state) and I can remember that money was a problem for my family for the early years of my life. (Nothing imposes itself on a child's mind as do strong emotions and I can clearly identify several strong emotions associated with money in my younger years. I'd bet, however, that my sisters don't remember this at all. In fact, I seem to remember that by the time they came along, most of the money issues were solved, if not at least abated.)

Nevertheless, regardless of the money issue, my parents never developed a penchant for keeping in touch with anyone. As I grew up, I began to ask my mother and father if they'd heard from the aunts or uncles or grandparents whom I so loved. More often than not, the answer was no.

All that to say that this lack of sharing information with those who are important in my life is a learned response. I got it honestly. I'm not inherently an uncaring person; I'm just one who never learned it was important to stay in touch.

Ergo, I love that my friends understand this about me. I love that they also say, "Well, I haven't called you either, so it's not just your fault." I love that Jess won't let me go more than two days without calling me. I love that they all love me enough to take my call whenever I call regardless of who called last.

"There isn’t much better in this life than finding a way to spend a few hours in conversation with people you respect and love." Amen, brother.