Where Would I Be Without My Friends?

When I was working, I once wrote a piece that started “Don’t count your friends on a sunny day…”  The idea was that anyone can be your friend when it is easy.  I suggested that you wait until the sky darkens and the clouds roll in and then you look to see who’s still standing [...]

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Iris Strikes Again!

Question:  What does the U.S. Mail and debris throughout my house have in common?  Hang on, because that’s exactly what today’s post is all about. It started with Iris calling me on a frigid gloomy day saying she was in the neighborhood getting her car fixed and asking if she could stop by afterward.  I [...]

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My Fade-Away Friend

Some things in life are just a crying shame.  Losing my friend Babs is one such thing. Here is someone I’ve known for 27 years.  All through my corporate life we were “partners in crime,” playing jokes, writing notes, having “secret meetings” – anything to survive the work day. The thing about Babs is that [...]

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An Interview With Iris

I’ve mentioned Iris in this blog numerous times.  She was my neighbor when I moved into my house five years ago.  As we got to know each other, the relationship morphed into a friendship and we had a lot of fun until she moved about a year ago.  We’ve stayed in close touch though, and [...]

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In Search Of…A Grown-up Playmate

Having taken early retirement has proven to be such a blessing in my life.  I worked hard and saved a long time to make it happen, and I give thanks every day for my freedom from the corporate rat race.  I really do. But there is a downside to retiring many years before the traditional [...]

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Friends…the Family You Choose

When I was growing up, I had my friends and I had my family.  Both groups were important, but I had a message embedded in my brain – “blood is thicker than water.”  I took this to mean that, when the chips were really down, the only people you could count on were your family.  [...]

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My New Best Friend

Recently I’ve written about  how I was worried about my emotional state this Christmas, in view of the fact that this past year has not been the best in my life.  Well, I’m pleased to report that lately I’ve been doing really well!  And, in part, I owe this surprising development to some advice I [...]

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When Friendships Fade…

Nobody keeps all their friends forever.  That’s just a fact of life.  Many people we are close to at a job, in a neighborhood or in school eventually drift away, very often due to time, distance and circumstance.  I get that. But then you have what I call your “core” set of friends.  These are [...]

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