I don't really know how it happens. I suppose it begins with an acknowledgement of some sort. Perhaps a nod or a smile or an email. Then maybe it graduates to a wave or an introduction or a conversation. Before long, it becomes personalized. You have a name to go along with the face and you end up greeting one another on a personal basis each time your paths cross. This is how friendships are born and nurtured and that is how they develop.
Have you ever gotten to the point where you can no longer really remember how or when you met that person, but you're just happy that you did? Have you ever sifted through your memory - realizing that you are so lucky to have such amazing friends? Even when time may have kept you apart... even for many years, all it takes is a hug and a smile to wash away the separation - it's just like yesterday and you are five all over again.
I got an email from a dear friend of mine. He just had an operation on his arm, and he's bandaged from his pit to his palm. He's all hopped up on meds, 'cause the pain's intense. He took the time to type (single handed) a response to an email that I had sent him. That's friendship. He's making sure that time doesn't cause a wedge between us. Geography separates us, but that's about it.
Today, I got enthusiastic waves and shouts (across a very busy thoroughfare) from some people who greet me every day. It was nice to see that even a busy road could not interrupt our daily routine. Even thinking about it makes me smile. What a pleasant exchange to have on a daily basis!
Whether it's a call or a text message or just a note to say "Hey, I'm thinking about you today!" It's nice to know that you've got a friend. It's even nicer to know that your friends have your back and you have theirs. Friendships are out there. They are waiting to be cultivated and grown. Sometimes you may have to take the first step in growing a friendship, and sometimes it's the other way around. Either way, when friendship blooms, it's like Spring in you heart. It's nice to have a feeling like that over and over again.
