Do you have friends from who remain ever present in your life for the past decades? So goes an adage as the gauge of surviving a life-long relationship: "Seven years of friendship isn't just a milestone; its a beautiful bond we've nurtured..."
Come to think of it, with these friends, we don't just share times gone by and the warmth of company. There is also the tacit connection and empathy, even though times come when one figures out why this link was never unchained despite isolated moments of conflict.
With adversities and the immensity and mess life presents along these years, at least we have someone to giggle with and humor about it at the time one needs a friend.
Never Outgrow Each Other
We still enjoy private jokes no matter how awkward incidents that happened when we were 18. We can un-embarrassingly share recycled jokes of our youth and still guffaw about it! Sometimes, we are reminded of what the P50 one was only too happy to loan us then, articulate anecdotes and laugh about it!!!
We grew up but not outgrown each other. It is always as if we were in our younger years each time we meet.
These friends are like or more than family to us who do not pressure or oblige us with anything.
Having friends for decades is no joke. It's similar to negotiating a rocky path, with constant pit stops as a result of occasional and detours. Yes, we are still here, near or far, still talking and still indulge in many "whys" as part of growing up still in touch.
What Were We Thinking?
Back in our youth, everything was an adventure — sneak out to go to the shopping center (mall, now) was an epic flight and plan an essentially low-budget, spur-of-the-moment out-of-town trip.
There were no mobile phones or social media yet. But when we agree to meet or celebrate an occasion next week or next month, we were all there on time. We were dependent on our laden commitment and memory retention.
Yes, indeed, we used our heart and mind in building up a relationship just like in the 1957 movie, An Affair to Remember, where the characters played by Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr agreed to meet six months after... and they were there.
We've Leveled Up
Everyone in this era easily get connected through internet and social media. Our pricey long-distance calls or telegrams are not in the realm of imagination of today's youth and adults.
If we value relationships, even if we do not see or talk to each other often, the bond perfectly encapsulates decades of shared past.
And our bonding has leveled up. It's not just a meeting at a cafe or hangout park. If we were adventurous with sneak outings in our youth, today's meet up comprise more of fashion shows and sentimental, conventions, trade fairs, concerts, or trips abroad. After all, we possess the wherewithal to afford all this at anytime.
It's no longer the destination but the journey in our lives. All of us develop, evolve, and mature but, believe me, sincere closeness and true relationships as friends will never ever fade over circumstance, distance, place, and time.
(email opinyon.luchie@gmail.com, luchiearguelles@yahoo.com)
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