This is my follow-up since this post.
He was two people in line behind me and saw me immediately. I did a good job at “Oh my gosh.” However, we were both glad to see each other. We sat together on the flight home.
It was good to see him. I wish I would’ve looked better, but I would have felt that way whether he was there or not. Being my own worst critic means I often judge myself for not looking my best, especially when I see someone I haven’t seen in a while. I’m quick to judge/be hard on myself.
He was doing well and I was glad to hear it. He’s now the CFO for the company he helped the books with in high school. They’ve grown, acquired some other companies and seemingly healthy. He deserves to do well as he was always committed to his work and started with the company early.
He was always a “grown boy.” This is probably why we got along and were surprisingly honest with one another even though we were not close friends. For example, one evening towards the end of college we had a long talk in the school’s parking lot. We talked for hours and he wanted to talk to me because he felt I shouldn’t go into teaching. His mother was a teacher, and he thought I’d be great as one, but he felt I should try other job paths. We had that type of relationship – straight forward, “adult” advice that was sometimes not requested. Additionally, we were a touch arrogant.
We cross people so quickly in our lives, it can be hard to remember to connect. There was something so refreshing about sitting with someone and catching up. Hearing his excitement about finding the girl he wants to marry, our equaled dislike and fondness of some things and talking about acquaintances and old friends proudly and reassured that they’re well. It was much nicer than pressing “like” on Facebook. (Not surprising, he got off of it two years ago. This did make me feel better about my panicked search.) I learned a lot more in that hour or so of conversation than if we exchanged a plethora of emails or read days of status updates or tweets.
It made me really happy. Of course, I was still down on myself for smelling like an old lady and looking busted. However, it was a great end to an overwhelming and un-rewarding week. It encouraged me to find time to do nothing.
My time at home is precious and I typically focus on “getting things done.” However, I have to become better at slowing down. I need to accept that it’s perfectly acceptable to not cram a schedule and that every day doesn’t need to be maximized. Therefore, I decided to add at least one person every week to my planner to reach out too. I started this week. So far, I have dinner plans in two weekends and am playing phone tag with someone else. Success!
How do you prioritize relationships? How do you stay in touch with family and friends?
