The Art of Making Friends

Was having dinner with some friends who moved up here 2 years ago from San Diego.  I asked them, "Aside from us church friends, do you have any other friends?"  What was a nosy, small talk question... turned into an endearing, heart wrenching conversation about how, as working adults with young children, we've lost the Art of Making Friends.

How do you make friends?  When we were young... it was innocent and easy.  When we were in college...  study groups and lab partners morphed into friends.  Nowadays, with co-workers.  If you're lucky to have a lunch break, you can sit and chat with them about "stuff."  But outside of work... what has become of us???  We have so much going on.. so many hidden agendas.. so much on our plate.  There's the term - "the Garage Door generation" where we, especially in the Silicon Valley, drive into our garage, close the door, and don't even know the names of our neighbors' kids.

Not long ago.... I happen to walk into the most wonderful and miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime friendship that is so cherishable, I can't even begin to describe it in words.  How did it happen? What was the key? the secret? the formula? Even if I were to write a book on the step by step development of this new-found kinship, I don't think it can be possibly repeated with another person, let alone two other people.  Lightning only strikes once.  You can only win the lotto one time.  And this was the case when I don't leave the house or don't buy lotto.  What did I ever do to be so blessed... I don't think I will ever know.

Funny thing... it also happens that these closest friends... are most capable of doing unfathomable damage to you.  Come to think of it... maybe that's why we lost this art.  It's not so much we've lost it... we've chosen to bury it, deep in the confines of missing laundry socks and overdue library books.

Mood: broken