“Go outside and play with your friends!” That was Mom’s clarion call to us kids back then when friendship was easier. When we were naive, tolerant, open to diversity, and had few boundaries.
We were perfect friend-making machines.
Some friendships lasted. Others dissipated. Either way, potential friendships seemed to be placed in front of us for the asking.
Circumstance, not choice, was likely to be the determining factor in staking out new relationships. People came in and out of our lives as we traveled through the cycle of education, career, and family.
It was important, but often not Priority One.
Things change for us during the latter days of our careers, and then in retirement. Obstacles arise.
We’re more set in our ways. More likely to harbor definitive ideas about who might be an appropriate friend. Who might not. We might move to a new location. Gain or lose a spouse. Become ill. Have money. Need money. Become consumed with politics or become apolitical.
We begin to hide pieces of ourselves in order to enhance compatibility with others. After all, it’s the time in our lives to relax. We’ve got our old friendships to do the serious lifting.
Some new friendships survive the journey. Some do not.
It takes a special type of grit to hack your way through it. To confront yourself honestly about what friendship actually means to you at this specific point in life.
We might ask ourselves, why isn’t this easier?
That’s a rhetorical question. We all know the answer: friendship is work. Up close and personal.
We want to like others and we want to be liked. We want to be heard for who we are and stand witness as new friends reveal themselves to us. We’re seeking a compatible home for our likes and dislikes because we need companionship and communion.
That’s a complex set of expectations.
Perhaps it’s why I so often hear people resort to the defeatist question: How many really good friends can one person have, anyway?
Friendship is an expansion opportunity. A fountain of possibilities.
Yes, we’re looking for a match to our existing sensibilities. But we also want more from new friendships. We look for journey-mates who can help to recalibrate and support the contemporary view we have of ourselves.
New friends can help us see the world through a different set of eyes. They can open a lane or two into this new realm. But it takes work on our part.
I used to be a categorizer. I ran away from the term friendship for too long. People were acquaintances. Work chums. Drinking buddies. Pals.
Definitions create limitations. Limitations create obstacles. This Merriam-Webster definition of friend will show you just how wide the umbrella of friendship can be. Remain open to the possibilities.
Not every friend will be the one you call at three in the morning for help. Not every friend makes an equally deep imprint on your life. No one person or couple can match every one of your friendship criteria.
What matters most is a shared set of common values as I explain in the video above.
Statistically, one of the biggest concerns elders have about long life is loneliness. And though the navigation of adult friendship isn’t without potholes, it’s one of the best preventative measures against this worry.
Stretch. Do the work. Go out to play with your friends!
How often do you try to make friends with new people? What does it take on your part? Do you think it’s worth it? What are some benefits you have noticed? Please share with our community!
Tags Friendships
After retiring, I started playing volleyball and became a board member of a pregnancy resource center. Joining both of these groups has allowed me to make many good, new friends who share my interests and passion. God brings people into your life at the right time and I am grateful for these new friendships with which He has blessed me at this time of my life. We can always take up new interests and add people to our lives if we stay open to the opportunities!
I live in Carson City NV. 80 years old. Great shape. Very healthy. Feel very very young. Hike, bike and swim. I drink Chardonnay. I love the Holy Spirit living in my heart… I am recently divorced. Is there a group/ community that relates to me? I need to meet people!
This is lovely! I noticed people were saying that you can’t make ‘new old friends’ and that’s true but I’m finding delight in being more open to new people and just seeing where it goes
Thanks, Lily. If this is an interesting topic for you I’ve got a host of articles on friendship (some which appear on this site) which may be of interest. It’s great that you are open to “seeing where it goes” because that’s what it takes! Howardfishman.net is my website.