I referred on Facebook today to an oooooooooold friend of mine and in one of the comments, one friend said she presumed I meant old as in the sense of how long I had known her. Actually, I meant it both ways; the lady is 87 and I have known her since 1983. We met when I began as a volunteer at the north Carolina Museum of Art, and we hit it off right from the start. In the early years of our friendship, we saw each other frequently, but that has leveled off in recent years.
We have had the good habit of meeting for lunch near our birthdays at least two times a year since then, but in 2012, the month of May was extremely busy for me and I had to let it slide. It continued to slide, past my birthday in October but today, we finally were able to have our lunch. Mr. kenju kept reminding me that if I didn't do it soon, I might miss the opportunity. I hate to look at it that way, but of course, one cannot help but think of losing friends and family who are in their 80's and beyond.
This friend has been very healthy during the time I've known her, but she now has a pacemaker, and the only other problem is with a foot, on which she had surgery last year, and necessitates the use of a walker (which she hopes is temporary.) When her foot trouble escalated, her children moved her from her lovely, spacious two bedroom apartment into the assisted living unit of her complex. She deplores the loss of room and the loss of her car - as I am sure I will when it happens to me.
We had a good lunch today, at Relish. I had a Reuben; she had the tuna melt; the fireplace was roaring and the conversation flowing. We had chosen a lousy day, weather-wise, to go out. It was chilly and misty as we started out and down-right cold and rainy when we left the warm atmosphere of the restaurant. But that didn't dampen our spirits and we definitely enjoyed seeing each other after so long a separation. I definitely will not let it slide so long again in the future. Good, old friends are hard to find.....we shouldn't let them fall to the wayside of our lives.
8 comments:
Lucky ladies. One should never wait...especially at our ages!
A lovely friendship! And not so far away that you cannot meet up. Wonderful!
Sorry she has reached a stage in her life most of us will reach when our abilities to choose will become limited.
So glad you got to brighten a deary day with each others warm company. I do hope you two keep in touch more often.
True friends are dear, hold on tight.
Thanks, think I will make a phone call today.
She's so lucky to have a friend like you ... I know it must brighten her day and yours too !
Getting together does get more difficult as time goes by but it is well worth the effort.
When I look back at all the expeditions I and my three pals made over the last 30 years I marvel how we took it all for granted.
Lunch with a good friend is better than any tonic or medication.
Grannymar
"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine, Age will mellow and refine."
You are so right, Judy...Time passes so quickly and then suddenly...It's too late. I empathize with your dear old friend---This loss of things we take for granted is all around me and including me, too. I know this is the third act, but, sometimes it is hard to take. So, cherish what you can, while you can. Mr. Kenju is so right.
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