Friendship is a very different thing from person to person. I still don’t quite know what to make of the idea that I have all these “Friends” on Facebook for instance. If someone were to ask me how many friends I had, it would not include all of them. I just wouldn’t call them all friends.
Friends are people that like you and you like them and they seem to overlook a lot that they don’t like about you or at least they don’t bring up their dislikes too often. They smile and laugh with you and hang out with you and eat meals together and you know, lots of stuff like that. Maybe really good friends take trips with you or have long discussions about life with you and you know, lots of stuff like that.
So that immediately redlines lots of FB “Friends” I think its making us redefine what “Friends” are; good or bad, I don’t know.
Our Group on Facebook has come closer to making “Friends” out of some of our FB friends. We see many of the 70 or so people out in Holmes Lake Walkabout Group every week, sometimes daily. A few not that often, but we know there around. I like this way of meeting and making friends but I’m still just old school enough to not quite know what to make of it. No matter, it is what it is, right?
Deb and I celebrate as we walk around the lake each day and greet the group members and occasionally invite newcomers into the group. We try to include folks that we know we will see again and have a certain pleasure and respect in being on and around the lake. They are our friends by virtue of our common interests, spoken and unspoken.
Our main interests were in connection with God, connection with His creation, connection with each other and our health and wellbeing for ourselves and others we meet. There are subtle changes in which one of these seem to take priority, but they are all one package.
We are especially pleased to see others walking and exercising to strengthen their health and usefulness to society. Holmes Lake is a gift in that regard and we are a bit protective of it as a special place in our community. This morning it was especially inviting and called to all of us as we were rousing from sleep to come and join the group of friends that make up the early birds that Walkabout the Lake.
