On Friends...

I was cleaning out some old files recently and I came upon an article by the late syndicated newspaper columnist, Sydney Harris. It was titled, simply, “Importance of Friendship”. I thought the column was particularly appropriate for retirees—not because it provides any new wisdom, but because we sometimes forget how important the support and fellowship of friends are as we make the transition into retirement and as we make various life transitions throughout our retirement years. How many of us take friendships for granted? How many of us, on the other hand, know that friendships are important, but neglect to nurture existing friendships and cultivate new ones? Perhaps we are well-reminded that good friends make good times better and difficult times more navigable. 

The last paragraph of Mr. Harris’s column summed it up well: “One of my dearest friends disagreed with me about almost everything in the world – the only thing we agreed upon was that we liked, enjoyed and trusted each other. If you have this, you don’t need anything else, and if you don’t nothing else matters.”

Rick Hearin