Friends

I have been giving some thought to what friends really are.  Are they people you meet and like for a while (until they either don't like you or you don't like them) or are they a mixture of the assortment of people you meet and like in a lifetime.  Once a friend, always a friend is the solution I have arrived at.
Each friend fits into a special place - some may have been close for only a short time but are still remembered, whilst others stay with you for the rest of your life - sometimes playing a major role in your life and at others just being there somewhere, ready to come out when the moment comes.

This weekend I met up with some friends that I have not seen for about 38 years!  We all shared some time in another world in the early 70's and have since then gone on our own paths.  Two of them were really good friends and I was amazed to find that they were still as I expected and still part of my life.  Our profiles are still the same (maybe a bit larger) and the grey hair and wrinkles are definitely there but the feeling of comfort in being with them is the major thing.  Ten of us met up for drinks, dinner and lunch the next day.  We didn't try to catch up and tell everyone what we had been doing for the past lifetime - rather, we just slipped back into the friendship routine - some teasing and some serious talking, general touching and happy conversation.