Stay Connected

Not too long ago, I spent the weekend  with a group of college friends, as we have done annually for the  last five years.  My “over-30 for over-30!” We are not there to further our professional interests, though ultimately those are enriched—but to stay connected.  

 This is a group that doesn’t hesitate to challenge each other professionally or personally. Inevitability, the conversations include the retelling of stories that we won’t let ourselves forget (and a fair amount of heckling), but it’s mostly about staying in touch and the care we have for each other.  The conversations we have during these outings align with our professional lives, but for the most part we shed our business personas and spend much of our time on other topics, like our kids, community, sports, health and world issues, laced with some of our past antics. 

I am lucky to be part of this group. They know my life’s highlights and lowlights. We share a history that makes it effortless to fall back into when we’re together, and our talks have the ease of being among family. It’s the same group who, after my father passed, showed up because they knew how close we were, and how painful his death was for me. These are people who understand me – and I them.

 As we move on in life, we focus more exclusively on our families, those closest to us, and our professional networks. But too often we lose touch with the people who kept us the most grounded, who helped us remember where we came from, who challenged, supported and elevated us with no other agenda or responsibility but friendship.

 In our highly digital, fast-paced, “new is better” world—especially one with the challenges of our times—it helps to lean back into our early friendships and remember the things that were uncomplicated, yet important…before everything else took over. On this traditional day of love and friendship, I want to give a shout-out to the relationships that formed the fabric of our lives; where we have some history together. Let’s be sure to keep in touch with the folks who know our hearts, keep us grounded, and love us well.