I had one yesterday from a lifelong friend that I had not talked to in a while. Although there were a bunch of great things about the call, two come to mind that are worth mentioning. First, she had called because she saw me post something on Facebook and figured I wasn't doing anything at that point of the day that couldn't be interrupted. She was so right. Second, toward the end of a couple of really long weeks at work, talking to her was just what the doctor ordered.
The whole experience started my brain rattling. Today, you get the results of those thoughts.
Many years ago, I had an acquaintance that put several of us in his personal schedule to call periodically. Because I was working in a pretty tight-knit industry, and we all knew each other very well, it didn't take us long to figure out his schedule and how often he was calling us. In the arrogance that is youth, we found humor in this, and after several months, even poked at him about it. At this point, I wish that we wouldn't have done that. Many of you probably would have done the same thing and ask why. I have come to realize that if someone takes the time to personally call you, it shouldn't be scoffed at, but rather appreciated for exactly what it is. It is one friend reaching out to another because they really care. Some of you are saying , “Duh,” right now because this makes sense and only takes a little insight. When Mark used his calendar all those years ago to schedule personal calls he could have easily ignored the reminder. But, he didn't. He went ahead and made the call because we all mattered enough to him that he was willing to invest time into those friendships.
This summer, my daughter has been working as a counselor at a camp in NE Iowa. She is not allowed to make phone calls unless she is off duty. Typically, this occurs for a couple of hours one night a week and all day on Saturday. Because of this, we have come to appreciate a call from her more than ever before. Additionally, a letter is to be truly loved, whichever direction it is going. It is such a return to earlier times when a letter was looked forward to with great anticipation.
In the middle of everything I have just talked about, I realize how much I need to do a better job of reaching out to people. I need to make sure that I talk to family and friends regularly, whether the media is a letter or a phone call. I also need to remember that the letter lasts a long time whereas the phone call does not. If any of you are like me, you probably have a drawer full of old cards and/or letters from earlier times that you periodically look through to be reminded of old friends and acquaintances. It brings back a flood of nostalgia and usually causes me to reach out to one of these people. Rarely am I disappointed at the results as I catch up on things that have been going on with those whom have been important in my life.
I also now know that I need to get much busier writing letters, particularly to my children, so that they have some of these types of memories going forward. One important note here is that I remember my mother begging me to send her a letter or two, once in a while…..I never got that done. Hum, okay, that was a miss. I don’t think I am ready to schedule personal communication in Outlook, but I will be working to be more connected with those from my life, not just today’s part, but all of it.
Just one other thought today. I had lunch today with a true lifelong friend. You know the kind. This is the type of person that you pray will never tell all of the things that they know about you. Anyway, isn't it wonderful to you have someone that even with time and distance, you can pick up the friendship and be back to “normal” in about five minutes. This is one of the things that I am really thankful for.
Have a great weekend.
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