Friends of All Ages

I have grown old enough now to know that friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. There are the friends that see you every day and still don't mind talking to you. There are the friends that you see once or twice a week, and you tell them everything that happened in the days since you last met. There are the friends that you see maybe once a month, if that often, and you make sure that you hit the highlights of your month so that you can still feel like you're a part of their lives and vice versa. Then there are the friends that you may not talk to more than three or four times a year, but in those get togethers, the day to day junk isn't important, and the real conversation begins. These are the ones where the pleasantries get over with very early, and you get down to the business of really getting into the other person's head, and doing what friends do best, listening and helping them sort their thoughts, or whatever else they may need you for.
Today, I had such a visit. I got to have lunch today with a friend that I don't get to see very often, but when we do get together, it fills my heart with such a warmth that I know that it doesn't matter how long it is between visits, because as soon as I see her again, the warmth will return.
Then, on my way home, I ran into a former student at the gas station. This student is the one that I have always said that I would like my child to grow up to be most like. He is the most polite young man, and I am really excited to see what he does as he gets older, because whatever it is, he's going to be great at it. He's the kind of former student that I don't just see and wave as I walk by, he's the kind where I like to sit and talk and listen to how he's doing and what his accomplishments have been so far, and everytime I do, I know that I played a small part in his initial success in college, and that makes me feel so much better about the kind of teacher that I was for him and the group he was in.
So, was today a feel good kind of day? You betcha!
Hope you had a good one, too!