A Note from the Editor
The Friend Connection
I’ve been thinking about friendship a lot the past few weeks. Truthfully, I think about my friends quite a bit because keeping and nurturing friendships takes time and attention and commitment.
I get more from my friends than I give; I sometimes feel guilty about that, but my friends are forgiving people. And I don’t think that more friends means better friends. Some of us thrive with one or two close chums.
I need and rely on an assortment. They’re like the jewelry in my dresser drawer. Each day I pluck out just the right necklace or pair of earrings or bracelet depending on the outfit or the day. The same goes for my jewel box of friends.
From sixth-grade cheerleading tryouts to dateless prom nights and in quick succession homesickness, first jobs, gut-kick medical results, marriages, sassy kids, questionable hairstyles and all the dizzying, complicated messes and mayhem that make life rich and sad and joy-filled, I’ve turned to my friends.
Some are listeners. Others are silly. I’ve got supremely practical friends, friends who fly across country to be at my side, and friends who connect with a phone call every few months. Some judge. Some keep quiet.
I’ve got friends who advise me about shoes, dogs, mental health, manicures, kitchen renovations and watching parents grow old. They know when I need the truth softened and when I need it with all its harsh edges. I’ve had some friends for almost 50 years, others for a few months. Each is a treasure. My modest goal is to be half as good a friend to them as they are to me.
Our theme this issue is connections. In addition to a story about keeping and making friends after 50, we’re serving up plenty of other ways to connect. Mastering social media and planning a reunion are just two of them. Our cover story package is about connections that cross generations, and we feature two places in Northeast Ohio that support those relationships.
Making connections takes effort. Most things worthwhile do. The jewels in my dresser drawer are just inexpensive baubles, but my friends, those are true gems.
