I have just experienced one of those joyous moments when a friendship is revitalised.

All too often I have sat on the sidelines and thought: “why hasn’t ‘so and so’ been in touch?”   Maybe the better question to ask myself would have been: “why haven’t I contacted them?”  People drift apart for numerous reasons – lack of time, new partnerships formed, moving, changing jobs – but it is never because we have just forgotten.  Lazy or not getting around to it may be the reason, but not an excuse.

At our fingertips we have the technology to contact someone at any time, yet who are our friends?  How many people on FaceBook, Twitter or any other social media outlet are your true friends?  Social butterflies, professional contacts, friends of friends, or even worse, online game friends, but who, if any would hold your hand, hug you, buy you a coffee (or a single malt Scotch) and listen without judging?

Yesterday afternoon I took a punt and sent off a text message to a beautiful friend whom I had only one contact with in the past six years.  A few hours later I received a reply.  I was wrapped.  We then ‘chatted’ for well over an hour and caught up on some of our respective experiences during our ‘time apart’.   So much has happened.  Have we changed?  Of course we have, and that is also wonderful to discover.  Are we still friends?  Yes.  Better, stronger and closer than before I expect.

So whether it is your best friend forever from school – whom you haven’t spoken with in ten years – a former work colleague with whom you shared special times, someone from your football or netball team, even a cousin, aunt, uncle or neighbour, just make the effort.  I guarantee that you will feel excited, and they will have a special surprise in their day.  If you get dumped on, well maybe they weren’t your friend in the first place – but you have made the effort.

Life is too short to lose a friend.

Thanks my SLaSH.