FRIENDS

Who do we call our friends? I don't mean those on some online "buddy list", or the people you nod to at church, or the coworkers that you share stories with over coffee or lunch. I mean those for whom we would drop everything if they needed our help. You know, those that know us ( if we can truly "know" anyone) and still put up with our little (and not so little) quirks and foibles. These are the people that care about us (and sometimes for us) when we are in need, cheer for us when we suceed and cry with us when we grieve, and we,for and with them, in return. We all need and, I hope, have at least one. I have been lucky enough to have several, ranging from my best friend in grammar, jr. high and high school, through my best friend from the last 25 years, to people from my college years that I still see regularly. It is this last "group" (which is our way of referring to ourselves) that causes me to reflect upon the nature of friendship and what it entails.

Some of us met in college, others married into it and some entered through friendship with an existing "member". Our commonalities are age (we are all "Boomers" although we consider our children to be included) and have college educations. We came from different states (both geographic and psychological) and vastly different backgrounds. We live in different states (both kinds) now and pursue very different careers and have a plethora of different interests. Some have families and others are childless. All have been married and some divorced. Some live far away and are seldom seen, the rest of us see each other., in some combination, about every 4 - 6 weeks. We couldn't be more different and yet more alike. We have shared each others lives, the highs and the lows, for 35 years. When I tell "outsiders" of this feat they are incredulous that we have managed to stay in close contact for this period of time, but to me it seems but an instant.

During these years we have "seen it all", births and funerals, weddings and divorces, serious illness and recovery. We have witnessed a man on the moon (ok I know it's a chronological anomaly but the metaphor works) and experienced the heartbreak of the fall of the twin towers. We have seen the end of a war and the onset of a war. We stand on the brink of the future with our eyes on the past. hoping to glean the wisdom we will need to make that leap to whatever lies ahead. Some may view that leap with trepidation, but I do not. I will have my friends with me to catch me if I fall.