Tonight I get a night out…well a couple of hours out, and I am really looking forward to it. I feel like this is something that we should all get to do once every couple of weeks. Just get out with some old friends and not have to worry about this thing called life for a couple of hours. We get to have meaningless conversations with friends we haven’t seen for a while. We get to laugh and make fun of each other, all the while not worrying about what your kids are doing, or work that should be getting done. It is that couple of hours that we so desperately need to recharge ourselves.
To take this in a totally different direction, tonight I am meeting up with two of my oldest friends. Two friends I guess I would consider my “best friends.” I have thought about that a lot lately though. These two are guys I grew up with and played ball with all throughout high school. They were the guys that I hung out with at least three days a week, sitting in my parents basement playing pool with for hours. These were the guys that I made most of my stupid adolescent decisions with. The weird thing now is these are the guys that I rarely see anymore. These are the guys that I now only really catch up with once every couple months. It is funny where life takes us. We become too busy, or we move farther away from each other. The guys we used to see daily, are now the guys I only see a handful of times a year.
Is a “best friend” someone you only see randomly throughout the year? Are they just friends now instead? It is weird to think about, and I don’t know the answer to it. I do know that these are the guys who know me the best. These are the guys I grew up with and shared so many experiences with. I have other friends now that I hang out with on much more of a consistent basis, but I don’t know if I could consider them best friends. To me it is just weird how that works. I guess I expected that the boys I grew up with would always be my boys. In a way they still are though, because every time we do make the time to get together, it still feels like it did when we were 18. Maybe all except the 400 kids that are now running around.
Either way I am very excited to hang out with my friends tonight. I look forward to the laughs and the jokes. I can’t wait to hear the stories from the past that we bring up every time we are together. I look forward to hanging out with my best friends. As I said before, I think we should all get to do this every couple of weeks!
A Second Inside My Brain 
i get it. totally. most of mine have been friends for around 20 years. we get together as much as possible and some i get to see more often than others. but i also have a handful of friends i don’t see but once every 3 or 4 years. but when i do get the chance we pick it back up like no time passes. that’s the good stuff and it’s cool that you appreciate it like you do. good post.
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I can so relate to this. I haven’t seen the friends I consider my “best” friends in ages, but we can always pick up exactly where we left off. I don’t know why we get so hung up on the labels, but we do.
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I understand where you are coming from with this slice. I feel like I rarely see my friends as frequently as I used to due to conflicting schedules and running children all over. However, I do feel like when we do get to see each other, we pick up right where we left off, regardless of time that has passed. Thank you for sharing and enjoy yourself!!
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So true. Some of my best friends I only get lucky enough to see every 3-4 months. Sometimes there is even more time in between, but the bond remains strong and friendship picks up exactly where we left. Currently trying to plan a get away with these girls and finding a common date is so difficult with work, spouse and other family dates. I’m hopeful we can make it happens.
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Make it happen!!
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Such a true post Mark! I live for these nights with my best friends. Have a great time and enjoy your night!
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Defining something that is… sounds like a philosophical question. Perhaps the labels and definitions are not what’s the most important, and as we age we realize that. Perhaps it’s about the quality of the connection, the depth of the conversations, and the fellowship. Love this reflection! As a fellow adult, I have pondered the exact thing.
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Interesting to think about what makes someone your ‘best’ friend. I don’t know either, but I tend to think it has something to do with this line: “I do know that these are the guys who know me the best.” And not so much on how often you see them.
You’re so lucky to still have these guys in your life, you know? I can tell you don’t take that for granted.
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Sounds like a great time!
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