Friday, June 24, 2005
Ties that bind
The past few weeks, I've been online more than I ever did (not counting being online in the office though). Aside from having to research for a total of 112 pages of content for 7 magazines I need to submit by end of July, I've been touching base with elem/high school batchmates who are online. It's so easy to forget the time when you're walking down memory lane (or what's left in your memory bank). Add a little crazy and green conversation on the side and you find yourself chatting for two to three hours.What makes childhood friendships and acquaintances different? I have friends of course whom I met when I started working...and they have remained as close friends till now. Yet the pull of friendships that date back from my elementary and high school years is not quite the same. Why so?
It is true that time could make a difference in a friendship. The operative word being "could", which means "might" or "will possibly". A friendship that has years of history behind it puts it in a class of its own. There's a homy feeling being with friends who saw me in my worst (oi, look at those horrendous elementary and high school class pictures!!!) and in my most naive and immature state (hmn, I'm hoping I've crossed that chasm...albeit barely). The topics of conversation are endless...covering decades instead of mere years. You reach a certain comfort level with them. You don't start from square one.
The operative word "could" though may fade into oblivion if those friendships are left to wither and dry. The reunions are like water to a plant...but the rule of nature is that you need to keep watering a plant for it to survive. No, we do not need to physically see each other to keep the friendship alive. Thanks to technology, we have options to bridge the miles. Yet there are times when, despite the physical presence or the technological breakthroughs that make connecting possible, we are still like strangers who just happen to know each other's names. We meet and then we go our separate ways without as much as a glance back. We email, chat or text but we don't seem to recall what it was that the other said. Are we too busy? Too preoccupied? Too impersonal? Or is it just not our style anymore?
Constant communication. That can open many doors and many opportunities...but communication of the hearts and minds transcends everything else. It's when we put a dash of love and thoughtfulness that turns a stranger into an important part of our lives.
