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The Family You Choose
How to get the most out of your friendship
Last week, I went to my friend Craig’s celebration of life event. I am getting to the age where my friends are beginning to pass away. Though I hadn’t seen this friend in many years, he still holds a special place in my heart. And it was apparent that that was also true for the other people there, too.
Mostly the participants were also my friends, those who were not I had heard of from Craig. As I wandered the streets of Tokyo looking for the restaurant, I saw a couple of old friends standing outside of it, and I instantly knew I was in the right place. Despite not seeing these wonderful folks in over a decade, it felt like we had just met a few weeks before. Those are the friendships to savor and continue developing. Spending time with friends brings authentic happiness and joy. We can savor the time spent together. Often that is enough, but how did we get here?
Deep friendships like these are cultivated not only through the aging process but by investing in each other. Countless hours had been spent over the years listening to personal stories, witnessing moments of vulnerability, supporting and advising as the situations called for. We had all seen each other at both our best and worst. We had learned to deal with each others’ idiosyncrasies and that learning taught us to laugh at…
