“What do you mean it’s been almost a year since we last caught up, I’m sure it’s only been like a month or so?!” Have you ever caught yourself saying that to friend when you are trying to schedule in a date for a catch up? I know I have!
When I was younger (college) days, I felt like I had all the time in the world to hang out with my friends. Then fast forward a few years down the line, and I am married, a mother of a toddler, and I am freelancer. Life feels busy, like I need to be everywhere all at once. When a friend says to me; “I haven’t seen you in ages“, I feel bad because: A) it’s true – I haven’t seen them in ages, B) because time moves to quickly, that I feel like I can’t keep up with it.
Time takes on a new meaning with age, we want to invest our time wisely, because we realise how precious it is to us during busier seasons. Hence, we need to be intentional and a bit more proactive when it comes to staying connected with friends. Staying in touch, and making the effort to stay connected places value on the friendship and it nurtures it to endure all seasons. We cannot do life alone, therefore, we need to make sure that are looking after friendships.
Stay connected
Here are a few fun tips that can help when it comes to the nurturing and sustaining of healthy long-lived friendships:
- Create a group chat either via email or on your phone. In that way you can all share quick updates and stay in the loop and in the know about what’s going on in your friends world.
- Plan and diarize a catch up date for the two of you to commit to well in advance.
- Do a monthly dinner date catch up.
- Plan a Skye meet up, especially if they live far away.
- Plan an annual road trip.
- Start a book club, or watch a series together.
- Send a fun gift parcel, or a hand written letter.
Our friends after all are there to encourage us through life challenges, to laugh and cry with, and to celebrate seasons with. Therefore, if we want thriving friendships that go the distance, we need to invest in them by being a good friend regardless of time and crazy schedules.