Major life transitions are weird.

When much of what was certain suddenly becomes more fluid and uncertain we find ourselves looking back for something more solid and grounding.

Lately I have been going down this path of the past and rediscovering much what was good is still there. I’ve been reaching out through social media and have been humbled and comforted by the responses, reactions, and caring of people from all of the various eras of my life.

The other day I reached out to an old friend on LinkedIn, the only place I could find where she’d been active recently. She called me back yesterday and we talked for almost two hours. It felt like no time had passed, even though we haven’t seen each other in person since 2004. Our last communication was a brief text exchange on Instagram in 2021.

We’ve known each other since the late 80’s. We even went to homecoming together in 1990. We’ve only been tangentially part of each other’s lives over the decades. Yet every time we do reconnect, it is like no time has passed.

This is who I am.

I am the once and future friend.

I’m the pal who you can call/message/email after six months, six years, or three decades. Do you need a conversation, a cup of coffee, a drink (non-alcoholic for me), a shoulder? I am that guy.

Once you are my friend, you’re always my friend.

Life may scatter us in different directions, but friendship with me doesn’t have an expiration date. It may be on pause for a few months or years, but it is still there.