Friendship

By nature, I'm an independent and private soul. A loner, so to speak. In fact, one of my dearest and oldest friends called me that when we were still in high school. I took it as a compliment. Not being one who needs people around me to make myself happy is a positive. I still, to this day, enjoy my own company. I do have my small circle of friends that I grew up with that are so very important to me. They all live in the Northeast so it's hard with that distance between us to stay in touch. I shouldn't, but it does. You know, life just seems to keep you busy.

Recently, I have been feeling a little lonely, actually for the first time in a very long time. I have my friend Beth here in Tennessee but we seldom get together which is just pitiful. When we do, it's a wonderful time, of course. I suppose after moving from where you have lived all your life, it's difficult to make new friends. At least for me, it was. Myself, being so shy and reserved, I never went out of my way to make any friends after our move with the exception of my next-door neighbor who is just like family. My mom moved in with us after we found a house and she has always been my best friend. But, lately, as dementia sets in, it's not my mom that lives with us. I feel more like a mother to her than vice versa. I miss my mom; and perhaps that is why I have been feeling lonesome lately. Perhaps it's age. Of course, I still have the hub, who is also my best friend. But sometimes, you just need a "girl" to talk to. Or so I am beginning to feel. At times like these, I wish I had a sister. The boys are getting older and they don't rely on me as much. So I suppose I'm just moving into the next stage of my life

Our next-door neighbors (like our extended family) have been home for the past several days. They commute back and forth between Nashville and Los Angeles. I can't begin to tell you how nice it has been having my friend back and having a couple of hours to spend talking about what's been going on in each other's lives. It's been a refreshing time. We are very similar in the sense that our homes are our cocoons and when home, we like to relax and be with our families. We get together occasionally but aren't always knocking on each other's doors, ya know? We're not ones to get involved with the busy-bodies in the neighborhood so we can talk about this one or that one. We are both very independent women who value our time with the family. But, with her being gone more than half of the year, we have to catch up when we can. So, we made time to spend together, to get away and just sit and chat. It truly was refreshing to me.

As I'm aging, I am finding friendship to be more valuable to me. I have my handful of true friends, and I cherish them with all of my heart. I love you guys so very much. I'm so fortunate to have you all in my life.