Old Friends/Always Friends
As a child, I loved to receive mail. Back in the day, the postal carrier would deliver twice a day during the Christmas season and I remember begging my mother to be the one who would open the cards.
When I was in college, my maternal grandmother would occasionally send me a letter, complete with newspaper clippings of articles she felt were important. Sad to say, I didn't keep any of those. But I remember the excitement of checking the collegiate mailbox and finding mail in there!
Christmas cards, with the accompanying annual letter, remain a big deal for me. I have composed a newsy tome for many years--don't remember how many--and once we had children, first added a photo to the card before switching over to the photo card. Once during the holiday season, after all the cards have arrived, I spend an afternoon re-reading the letters we have received, making mental notes of what has been going on in our old friends' lives.
More than a couple of these old friends have told me that they look forward to our letter, as do their children! I suppose that shouldn't surprise me, because my kids will ask if we've received card from someone and are their children in the photo array.
This is the long way into what I've been thinking about--how old friends are also always friends.
A 2018 goal of mine is to reconnect with as many of those Christmas card friends who write, "We should get together" as possible. So far, so good.
In my Staying Connected class, the focus is on social connections after retirement. Bottom line: you had built in social connections at work (whether you liked all of them or not). Now, it's up to you to rediscover, rebuild, maintain, establish new connections. One of the joys, for me, in teaching this class is that each time, participants are exchanging names and numbers and emails at the end of their time together.
We also discuss getting back in touch with those old friends who, perhaps, you just send Christmas cards or you've become friends with on Facebook or however you've maintained that friendship lifeline. There's some trepidation expressed about contacting them, primarily because there's a feeling that you've basically ignored them for all these years, why would they want to see you now?
Because they're always friends. You worked on developing a relationship with them at a time in your lives when your hearts were open to them, and theirs to you. Those places are sacred. They never erode. Your communications may have become sporadic over the years but the place in your heart where they reside remains.
Our experience has been that as we sit together, the memories pour out. Everyone catches up, going both backward and forward, all punctuated with laughter. There's something almost magical about the trip back where you remark, "I kind of remember that." Because so do they.
Now, will you see each other more regularly? Perhaps, but perhaps not. Does it matter? Absolutely not, because you've returned to that space your heart held dear and reactivated it. It sings in the quiet moments when you allow yourself room for silence and calm. Ah, you sigh. I love and I am loved in return.
Always friends.
Cooking
Sad to say, at least from a recipe standpoint, we're still eating rather simply--grilling a protein, adding a starch and a vegetable. My hope is that when we return home, the snow has melted sufficiently for us to use the grill.
Sunrise, Sunset
Back to goals: As previously mentioned, I am NOT a morning person. This past Saturday, we set the alarm for the first time in 6 weeks as we had signed up to participate in the Indian Rocks Rotary Run the Beach event/fundraiser. A side benefit was that I got to see the sunrise, which I set as a goal for myself during these two months in Florida.
Pretty nice, huh?
To see the sunset, all we have to do is step out onto the patio. We are blessed and spoiled. This photo is from about 40 minutes after sunset last night, where both the crescent moon and Venus were visible.
When I was in college, my maternal grandmother would occasionally send me a letter, complete with newspaper clippings of articles she felt were important. Sad to say, I didn't keep any of those. But I remember the excitement of checking the collegiate mailbox and finding mail in there!
Christmas cards, with the accompanying annual letter, remain a big deal for me. I have composed a newsy tome for many years--don't remember how many--and once we had children, first added a photo to the card before switching over to the photo card. Once during the holiday season, after all the cards have arrived, I spend an afternoon re-reading the letters we have received, making mental notes of what has been going on in our old friends' lives.
More than a couple of these old friends have told me that they look forward to our letter, as do their children! I suppose that shouldn't surprise me, because my kids will ask if we've received card from someone and are their children in the photo array.
This is the long way into what I've been thinking about--how old friends are also always friends.
A 2018 goal of mine is to reconnect with as many of those Christmas card friends who write, "We should get together" as possible. So far, so good.
In my Staying Connected class, the focus is on social connections after retirement. Bottom line: you had built in social connections at work (whether you liked all of them or not). Now, it's up to you to rediscover, rebuild, maintain, establish new connections. One of the joys, for me, in teaching this class is that each time, participants are exchanging names and numbers and emails at the end of their time together.
We also discuss getting back in touch with those old friends who, perhaps, you just send Christmas cards or you've become friends with on Facebook or however you've maintained that friendship lifeline. There's some trepidation expressed about contacting them, primarily because there's a feeling that you've basically ignored them for all these years, why would they want to see you now?
Because they're always friends. You worked on developing a relationship with them at a time in your lives when your hearts were open to them, and theirs to you. Those places are sacred. They never erode. Your communications may have become sporadic over the years but the place in your heart where they reside remains.
Our experience has been that as we sit together, the memories pour out. Everyone catches up, going both backward and forward, all punctuated with laughter. There's something almost magical about the trip back where you remark, "I kind of remember that." Because so do they.
Now, will you see each other more regularly? Perhaps, but perhaps not. Does it matter? Absolutely not, because you've returned to that space your heart held dear and reactivated it. It sings in the quiet moments when you allow yourself room for silence and calm. Ah, you sigh. I love and I am loved in return.
Always friends.
Cooking
Sad to say, at least from a recipe standpoint, we're still eating rather simply--grilling a protein, adding a starch and a vegetable. My hope is that when we return home, the snow has melted sufficiently for us to use the grill.
Sunrise, Sunset
Back to goals: As previously mentioned, I am NOT a morning person. This past Saturday, we set the alarm for the first time in 6 weeks as we had signed up to participate in the Indian Rocks Rotary Run the Beach event/fundraiser. A side benefit was that I got to see the sunrise, which I set as a goal for myself during these two months in Florida.
To see the sunset, all we have to do is step out onto the patio. We are blessed and spoiled. This photo is from about 40 minutes after sunset last night, where both the crescent moon and Venus were visible.
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