22 Comments

Wonderful how you connect finding old friends with reconnecting with our original selves - which I believe is an underrated part of human development at our stage of life. Thank you for sharing this!

Expand full comment
founding

Lovely piece! I have always treasured my old friends, from elementary and high school, some of whom I stayed in touch with through the years. Then along came Facebook, which, for all its faults, really made a difference, allowing me to reconnect with people like my best friend from 1st grade who moved to the Oregon woods in 1979. I've rediscovered her as a wonderful writer with a fascinating life, and still a true friend.

Expand full comment

Loved this, Don. When my life gets back to normal, I hope to go see many of my oldest and dearest friends. I miss them!

Expand full comment
Nov 26, 2023Liked by Don Akchin

I SO agree! One of the best blessings in my long life has been the several friendships that have stood the proverbial test of time - several for over 50 years! Not only do we know each other's histories and truest selves, but when I look at one of my 70+ year-old friends, I still see the teenager they were...

Expand full comment

This is lovely, and accounts for why I still cherish my three best friends from elementary school, all of whom I see on a regular basis. We have a short-hand with one another; often don't need to say much to get the point across.

Expand full comment
Nov 25, 2023Liked by Don Akchin

Aw, your jokes probably went over their little heads! I would have laughed, for sure!

Thankful for your long friendship.

g

Expand full comment
Nov 25, 2023Liked by Don Akchin

Don, this was beautiful. I am so sorry we were not able to see you. For the record, I was always in awe of how incredibly intelligent you were! (Even if you did say SO-crates 😂)

Expand full comment

Absolutely, both in England (where I was born and raised) and California (where I came of age). I love your sentimental journey, Don. I did something similar when I was in my early forties, and having.a bit of a midlife crisis. I flew to the UK, visited old friends, renewed lovely relationships, and ended up in the town I grew up in, even though my family and friends had left it, where I met up with old teachers. They were delighted to see me, and one described my adventure as "magnificent". 😂

Expand full comment

Sounds like a great trip. We had a beautiful nine days in the Berkshires in October, visiting our old friends. One of those people came up from NYC with me in the late '60s. You can't replace all that history....layers and layers.

Expand full comment

Loved this piece, Don. Old friends are the best. You have given me an idea! I’ll see how it turns out. Thanks for the inspiration.

Expand full comment

Thx for the shout-out! In October, my wife and I spent an unforgettable week in Colorado with two couples who were our deepest friends while living in Knoxville. We hadn't seen them for 3 years. Lots of laughs, stories, and even some tears. Then last week, a couple who were dinner club buddies and dear old friends in Minneapolis in the 1970's stopped in for a 6-hour dinner, memories, catchup, and pure delight. Today, I believe more fervently than ever that Old Friends are super-blessings . . . .

Expand full comment