Old Friends

I am fortunate to have a number of people in my life I call friends. Some old friends, others newer friends. Some I talk to often, regardless of the thousands of miles between us, while I others I talk to less frequently. Either way, they are the people with whom I first share good news, and on occasion, bad, because they are always available for me. 

I have many friends made over the past five years in Key West, and I have others that have been in my life for the long haul. Like my friend Lori, when I explain to people that we have known each other forever, they roll their eyes. But she was at my first birthday party. We were one year old. I would say that qualifies as forever. My friends from summer camp when I was twelve, remain my closest friends to date, even though we see each other less frequently than I consider acceptable. I realized that my friends from college have now been friends for twenty years. Yep, I’m getting old.

When I was seven, we got new next door neighbors. Eileen and I became fast friends, and are still friends today. (Yes, my parents still live in the same house, and yes, her sister still lives in their house.) For the past several years, every time we are together, she introduces me to others as “her oldest friend“. I generally reply, “Yes, I am 87” and am met with eye rolling or curious shrugs. (Hey, I think it’s funny.) Over the weekend we went to the bat mitzvah of Eileen’s daughters. She introduced me to others as “my friend I have known the longest in the world.” Finally, I made it past “oldest“.  At some point, I probably will be the oldest friend, but I think we have a while yet.

Today, we will celebrate the wedding of some of our newer friends’ daughter. Long friendships have to start somewhere. even though the friends we went out with last night are on the more recent end of the spectrum, they are still wonderful friends, and we have many more years of good times ahead.

Regardless of how often we see each other, I am delighted and thankful that you are a part of my life. (Now I need to go, pick up the phone, and actually call some of these people.)