Strengthening Friendships: Staying Friends Over Distance and Time
My best friends are friends that have I've had for many years, but surprisingly, we have not always been close. Why? Because at times we've been separated by distance.
My two best friends I lost touch with for a few years because they moved to other parts of the country; in fact, one moved to another country. However, we found the relationship again, and discovered good friends are always friends no matter what.
I also lost track of one friend because of time. We were both at the stage in life where we had young children. Between jobs and kids, there was little time to spend with friends.
If I had to do it over again, I would have made it a point to stay in touch with these good friends during the times distance separated us. Close friends are important in life because you can never have too many good friends. Here's a few suggestions to stay in touch:
- Email: With the development of the internet, this is easy. You can jot a line or two on your lunch hour and send it off quickly. Even forwarding appropriate email that has been sent to you is a way to stay in touch.
- Phone: It's always great to get a phone call from a friend from far away when you're not expecting one. Somehow hearing from an old friend you haven't seen in a long while can brighten up anyone's day.
- Letters and cards: Although this may take more time and effort, writing to someone and sending it off through snail mail shows you really still think about them once in a while. The most traditional time to send cards? Christmas!
- Photos: Share news about your family and what you're doing through pictures.
- Clubs: Stay connected by joining a club that both of you enjoy. You can even do this over the internet through a book club online.
Even if you lose touch for awhile, if you ar truly close friends, your friendship can be rekindled. Good friends remain close throughout life, even when there are a few curves in the road.
Comments
AUTHORThanks to all who have responded. It's nice to hear some other interesting suggestions. "Virtual dates" sound fun, and ichat sounds interesting too!
Very good suggestions!
I would like to recommend SecondLife.com, a virtual online world where you can meet up with friends and walk around the same world and share some fascinating experiences. My best friend (800 miles away) and I share a virtual apartment in Second Life where our avatars can sit together, try on new clothes, go out dancing, or just have fun chatting. My husband and I go on "virtual dates" during my lunch hour sometimes, he's at home and I am on my work computer fifteen miles away. We can hug, kiss and hold hands, visit Paris, Rome, Amsterdam. It's a blast! And it's free. The only trick is convincing your friend to join you. Good luck.
ichat is also a great option!! If you have a camera in your computer or buy one you can connect with a usb (xbox sells a great one that works with a mac computer) you can actually see each other .. even share a glass of wine while you talk and not feel you are 'drinking alone' :-) I have two great friends who have moved far away and we keep in touch this way, it's fun for us and fun for your kids as well!
Nice post! My best friend moved away when we were in 8th grade, and now, 14 years later, we are still as close as can be, even though we are thousands of miles apart.
Thank you for answering my request and for the great suggestions! :)
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