Friends are what make life. Of course I include my family - families 'cos I'm lucky enough to have two: a blood family and a surrogate family - because they are friends too.
So when I said in the last post that Lewis was another world, another life, I was referring to the obvious physical and a certain mental change that occurs when I move from one life to the other. I assume that it's the same for anyone living two separate existences. What never changes, though, is one's friends. All that changes is the physical proximity to those friends.
Having lived more than half my life on Lewis it was to be expected that most of my friends would be there. But life's not quite turned out like that. Many of my friends, even those who were Islanders (as compared with incomers like me who were not born nor went to school there) are leaving the Island to retire on the mainland - often Glasgow. My friends and acquaintances are, in fact, scattered across the world.
However the reality of the present day is that communications are so good and so immediate and relatively affordable that we may be far from our friends but we need never be out of touch. In fact, in some ways, we are often more in touch than we are with people who live not 7 miles away.
So just because I'm on the other side of the world and can't go for coffee in The Woodlands or The House for an Art Lover or Linghams (for another 6 months) doesn't mean that I think about you any less. 'Cos I value my friends.
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I like this post. I have been thinking about this very topic recently myself. I love how some of my friends can go for months without any contact and yet when we finally chat it is like we have never been apart.
ReplyDeleteI certainly value friends this year. Mark and I have made some precious and important new friends since moving to Auckland and then going through my diagnosis etc.
We have also discovered who has not been such a valuable or loving friend, family included. But that is life and it keeps it interesting for sure.
I am sure you will spend the next few weeks catching up with many friends now you are back. Enjoy!!:-)
And they value you - so all is well with the world!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Many of my friends are scattered across the world as well (or have been for periods of time). Myself I have not been able to travel all that much, but even so, sometimes I seem to know more about what's going on among friends living in the remote corners of the globe than next door. Even more so since blogging and Facebook... But also simply to do with the nature of friendship.
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