Friendship
Friends fall into three categories:
There are the childhood friends, early-adult and just married friends, and the recently acquired senior friends.
The kindergarten and public school chums are a delight because they unleash memories of early and carefree years that have faded from our daily existence. Hopefully, they are in good health so that illness does not change or impinge on the relationship. Old stories and old deeds come to mind and seeing them triggers a whole mental scenario. They are irreplaceable and they understand us in depth as we appreciate and comprehend them.
In the early years of marriage, we find many sets of couples that have similar circumstances and experiences of a new marriage and a setting-up of a home and hearth. The breadwinners are rookies in their fields of endeavor and the struggles in financial matters have a common ring to all.
This group has hope and optimism in their eyes. The world is their oyster and they are young and strong in their belief systems. As the years go by we are dosed heavily by reality, and some of the early optimism and expectation fades, but adult understanding replaces it. Some of these friends last a lifetime.
Finding and maintaining new friends in our senior years is much more delicate. Our acceptance of people has been finely honed and we are less tolerant of those who irk or irritate us.
A new friend, in these years, must fit in exactly to our close needs as we are not as flexible as in years gone by. Friendship in older, retired folks has need of more helpful care of our pals. A shoulder to lean on is very important.
I have just outlined the most meaningful aspects of friendship in a lifetime. If I left out any areas my readers deem important, please e-mail them to me.
