What will I do when you’re gone?
Who’s gonna tell me the truth?
Who’s gonna finish the stories I start,
The way you always do?
When somebody knocks at the door,
Someone new walks in.
I will smile and shake their hand,
But You Can’t Make Old Friends.
It was me and you since way back when,
But you can’t make old friends.
Wow. This may be cliche, but if so, I’ve never heard it. Profound though.
As I give some thought to friendships that have lasted for decades, I notice a few common elements.
- Long lasting friendships are mutual, not one-sided.
- Effort is required over distance and life developments.
- There is an inherent tension to manage between old memories and new experiences and growth.
Said a different way, old friends tend to have the capacity to be fascinated with the new experiences and appreciative of the old ones, neither abandoning the past nor devaluing the future.
So, who are your old friends? Anyone you need to contact? Anyone who has passed on, but you need to stop and be thankful or perhaps reach out to their remaining family?
You can’t make old friends.
Worth Repeating
The only way to have a friend is to be one.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s New Song
Click here to watch and listen to the official youtube video of You Can’t Make Old Friends by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Enjoy, and think of an old friend.
