Hear That Sound? It’s Us Clicking

I suppose this could be called friendship week since I’ve spent so much of my time and thoughts mulling over mine. I also suppose there’s no better way to start the weekend than to consider and then give thanks for those who make our lives richer and then tell them so.

“No matter what age we are, a profound sweetness glides over the human spirit when we are included in a small circle by an old friend.” Robin Jones Gunn

All grown up now? With better things to do? Weightier matters pressing upon you, shadowing you? Merciless time crunches, dire financial gymnastics, strained work relationships? Feeling pressured by every side to comply or conform? Oh, wake up and stop the whining! There are more important things to be done.

Stop everything. Quiet that frenzied hamster wheel in your mind. Forget about deadlines, details, debts, and any other impending disaster that tempts you away from the most significant activity you can imagine on today’s agenda. For the next few moments just sit back and consider what’s the most valuable quantifiable asset you possess. If you’re toying with mental pictures of a mini-mansion, that sports car sitting in your garage, a summer trip to Europe, or even the newest technological wonder, halt. These accoutrements don’t even come close to measuring up to “most important” whatever in a person’s life…that’s true by any honest person’s standards.

Try again. Here’s a hint. Your most priceless resource can’t be begged, borrowed, or stolen from you. It’s so indefinably precious that all seek it, long for its company, and yet for some, it remains elusive. Doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor…it’s an equal opportunity benefit. It all starts and ends with you. Give up? It is friendship. Whether your nearest and dearest are holdovers from your earliest childhood years…or recent additions to your now adult life, what matters most is our connection to friends.

Won’t make much difference ten years from now whether you moved into the nicer neighborhood you’re eyeing, joined that elite country club, or finally achieved a coveted position of status in your workplace. If you don’t have the good sense to keep up with friends, nurturing these vital relationships over the long haul, you’ll be alone. No one there to share the joy of accomplishment. Many things in life will change. Life is at best uncertain. Tomorrow’s circumstances may very well alter your plans for the future.

So who will be there to come alongside you when life deals you a death knell blow? Who will you run to when the pain reaches beyond your ability to cope? You’ll turn to friends, old and new. And the best part is this; they’ll be there for you. (If you still have any.)

Consider friendship the best “life” insurance policy you’ll ever invest in…the dividends, the returns…are well above and beyond the cost. Before the day is out, choose to connect, to invest, and to love. Before the sun goes down, choose wisely, for your sake and that of your friend.

Author Robin Jones Gunn accurately states, “It’s a humbling thing to be chosen.”

So send an e-mail (or drop by) to a close-by friend and make a date to meet within the next week. Send another e-mail (or make a phone call) to a faraway friend, just to check up on them. Then send one to your own address, reminding yourself of the sweet joy friends have brought your way. And be glad to have been given the opportunity both to choose and be chosen.