Friends

Sometimes you just have to take a moment to appreciate how fortunate you are to have a great circle of friends. On Monday, I and several friends worked all day preparing a meal for a fund-raiser. It was a lot of work and we stressed and wondered if we would have enough food, but we also had a lot of fun. There was plenty of laughter coming out of the kitchen as we peeled, chopped and cooked. Because of my extensive cooking knowledge, I was “kicked out” of the kitchen several times and told to tend to putting the tablecloths on the tables and getting the banquet room set up. I did have the opportunity for revenge when one of the cooks tried to help in the banquet room and I was able to send her back to the kitchen. We are a group of friends spanning decades, who have formed what is probably unlikely friendships. The twenty-somethings are just starting their careers and are just beginning to think about life-partners; the thirty-somethings are settled in their careers and are busy raising tweenies and teen-agers, and the forty-somethings-and-up are beginning their lives as empty-nesters. Yet, we all have a lot in common, have causes we strongly believe in, and we truly enjoy being together, which is why we find ourselves together time and time again. Over the day, spouses and partners joined us as they got off of work, and they completed the circle. As we all sat together to eat, I looked around at our table and watched the interaction, I realized that friendship is not based on age, on income or on life-experiences, it is nothing more than simply liking each other and enjoying each other’s company and – most importantly – being able to laugh together. The banquet was a success, the food was delicious (and we did not run out) and our friendships remained intact and strong. Having good friends you can count on . . . it’s a good thing!