KEEPING IN TOUCH

I SORTA TOUCHED ON THIS TOPIC HERE AND THERE IN THE PAST BUT NOT REALLY WROTE FULLY ABOUT IT AND THIS TOPIC WAS MORE PREVALENT THIS TIME AROUND ON MY VACATION. WHEN I SAY KEEPING IN TOUCH I MEAN EXACTLY THAT, KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH OLD FRIENDS, CLASSMATES, AND COLLEAGUES. IF YOU KNOW ME THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT LIKES TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH EVERYONE. DOESNT MATTER WHERE YOU END UP OR HOW LONG ITS BEEN, SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW DOWN THE LINE I WILL CATCH UP WITH YOU, ESPECIALLY IF I BUMP INTO YOU ON THE STREET OR SOMETHING AND I SAY LETS CATCH UP SOME DAY, OR GRAB A COFFEE, I ACTUALLY MEAN IT. THIS IS JUST WHO I AM. I LIKE TO SEE WHERE PEOPLE I ONCE KNEW ARE AT THESE DAYS. PERSONALLY ON MY VACATION THIS TIME AROUND I MET UP WITH LOTS OF FAMILY, FAMILY FRIENDS, AND FRIENDS THAT I HAVE IN CHINA AND HONG KONG. I ACTUALLY DIDNT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MEET UP WITH EVERYONE... THERES JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE AND TOO LITTLE TIME. ANYWAYS, I MET UP WITH FRIENDS THAT I HAVENT SEEN IN A FEW MONTHS OR SOME I HAVENT EVEN SEEN IN OVER A DECADE. I PURPOSELY MESSAGED THE PEOPLE I HAVENT SEEN IN A LONG TIME SO WE CAN GO OUT AND CATCH UP, I MEAN AFTER ALL AT ONE POINT WE WERE FRIENDS FOR A REASON. KEEPING IN TOUCH IS HARD THESE DAYS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE ALL GROWN UP, WITH CAREERS, FAMILIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND EVEN HARDER WHEN WE ARE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PLANT. HOWEVER, I WILL MAKE AN EFFORT EITHER WAY TO SEE EVERYONE. GOING BACK THIS TIME I GOT A CHANCE TO MEET UP WITH A BUNCH OF MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS WHO ALL MOVED BACK TO HONG KONG TO WORK. THERE WAS ONE FRIEND I HAVENT SEEN IN OVER 10 YEARS AND THE REST I HAVENT SEEN IN 4 OR 5 OR MORE YEARS. I ORIGINALLY ONLY TOLD ONE PERSON IN THE GROUP THAT I WAS COMING BACK AND THEN IT JUST SPREAD FROM THERE THAT I WAS COMING BACK. IT SO HAPPENS THAT ANOTHER CLASSMATE WAS BACK AS WELL AND THEY ALL ENDED UP HAVING A SMALL HIGH SCHOOL REUNION. IT WAS REALLY NICE OF THEM TO HAVE INVITED ME ESPECIALLY SINCE I WASNT REALLY IN THEIR GROUP. WE HAD THE SAME CLASSES TOGETHER AND GREW UP TOGETHER SO IT WAS FUN GETTING SO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN UP TO FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS LOL. I REALLY LIKE KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH EVERYONE, I MEAN AFTERALL WE WERE FRIENDS FOR A REASON. SO IF YOURE READING THIS AND WE HAVENT TALKED TO EACH OTHER FOR A WHILE, MESSAGE ME TO COME OUT AND CATCH UP. I WOULD LOVE TO HANG OUT AND CATCH UP SOMETIME.

THE WHOLE REASON I WROTE THIS POST WAS MORE BECAUSE I SAW HOW MY PARENTS KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEIR FRIENDS. IM REALLY IMPRESSED THAT AFTER 30... 40... 50... YEARS MY DAD IS STILL FRIENDS WITH HIS HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS AND OLD COLLEAGUES. EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE IS MY MOM IS STILL IN CONTACT WITH HER OLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FRIENDS. EVERYONE IS ALL OLD NOW AND RETIRED WITH KIDS OF THEIR OWN AND LOTS OF THEM EVEN HAVE GRANDKIDS. IM NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST A FRIEND OF TWO... I WENT TO MY MOMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FRIENDS GATHERING AND 20 PEOPLE SHOWED UP!!! ALL OF THEM WERE FROM HER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASS!!! THAT IS SOMETHING SPECIAL. AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY, WORKING, TRAVELLING, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, RETIREMENT, GRANDCHILDREN, THEY ARE STILL ABLE TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH SO MANY FRIENDS. EVEN BETTER YET THEY HAVE EACH OTHER ON FACEBOOK AND GROUP CHATS. ITS AMAZING THAT FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THAT CAN LAST LITERALLY A LIFETIME. THEY ALL GET ALONG AND TALK ABOUT THE OLD DAYS AND THESE DAYS. WHEN THEY GET TOGETHER ITS LIKE THEY NEVER SKIP A BEAT. SAME WITH MY DAD AND HIS FRIENDS FROM ALL DIFFERENT PLACES. SAME WITH ME AND MY FRIENDS I HAVENT SEEN IN A LONG TIME. WE ALL LITERALLY JUST PICK UP FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF AND CARRY ON LIKE WE WERE NEVER MISSING. THE BEST PART IS THAT IT ISNT FORCED. EVERYTHING FEELS NATURAL. I REALLY WISH I CAN HAVE ENOUGH TIME AND MONEY OF COURSE TO JUST GO ALL OVER TO CATCH UP WITH ALL THE FRIENDS THAT I HAVENT SEEN OR TALKED TO IN A WHILE. THEY SAY THAT IF A FRIENDSHIP LASTS LONGER THAN 7 YEARS THEN THE ODDS ARE THAT YOU WILL REMAIN FRIENDS FOREVER. THIS REALLY APPLIES MORE FOR CLOSE CONTACT FRIENDS BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF YOU MAKE AN EFFORT TO BE FRIENDS AND KEEP IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE, THEN THEY WILL RECIPROCATE AND YOU BOTH BE FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME. TIME AND DISTANCE REALLY DOESNT PLAY A FACTOR IN THIS BECAUSE ITS MORE OF AN EFFORT AND WILLINGNESS TO TRY TO KEEP IN CONTACT. PEOPLE THESE DAYS JUST LOOSE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE TOO EASILY, SOMETIMES YOU MOVE AWAY OR PEOPLE CHANGE NUMBERS AND WHO KNOWS WHERE THEY END UP. TECHNOLOGY THESE DAYS MAKE IT SIMPLER TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE AND FRIENDS. MY PARENTS PROVE WITH THEIR FRIENDSHIPS, THAT IT REALLY IS POSSIBLE TO REMAIN FRIENDS FOR A LIFETIME. WHO KNOWS IF ITS MORE OF A DIFFERENT GENERATIONAL KIND OF THING BUT WHATEVER THEY ARE DOING, IT WORKS FOR THEM. I REALLY DO HOPE THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE I MEET OVER MY LIFETIME LIKE THEY HAVE.

RT