Reconnected.

This past weekend I visited my best friend in the world.  We’ve been friends since we were in the sixth grade.  We live far away from one another nowadays, but we talk regularly.  Our communication is so regular that we sometimes forget that it’s been weeks, months, and sometimes years since we’ve seen each other in person.  We determined it was time to reconnect face-to-face, so I made the trip down to visit my best, oldest friend in the world.

I want to tell you we had a rollicking good time with crazy adventures and antics that made us feel young again.  I want to tell you that, but I don’t want to lie to you.  The truth is we went out for ramen noodles, then we went back to his home where we hung out drinking a beer (yes, one beer each), and finished my visit with a trip to a local Indian restaurant.  In the morning I woke up, hung out with his kids, and then began my long drive home.  Sound boring?  Maybe to someone who isn’t reconnecting with an old friend.  Dave and I have been close friends for over two decades.  When you’ve been best friends with someone for over twenty years, you don’t need crazy adventures and antics.  You just need to be with them.  That’s exactly what we needed, and it was everything I could have hoped for.

Well, it was a little more exciting than that, too: – Our trip to get ramen noodles was to a restaurant opened by another old friend of mine, one who I haven’t seen in years.  Our visit was unannounced and when we arrived we damn near broke her brain.  It was the best reaction ever, full of disbelief and surprised joy to see her old friend again.  The noodles were stellar as well, hitting the spot on a rainy Saturday.  If you live in the area of Port Jefferson, NY, I recommend SLURP RAMEN (working title).  You won’t be disappointed. – Hanging out drinking a beer also involved playing with Dave’s almost-2-year-old son, and he’s charming as hell.  The next morning involved playing with both his son and his 4-year-old daughter, which was another level of cute.  We played with Play-Doh, made art, and fished for sharks.  There’s something altogether wonderful about meeting your best friend’s children and watching them grow up. – Dave and I have a tradition of having nerdy-as-hell conversations over Indian food.  Said tradition continued this past weekend.  That may not sound very exciting to you, but it’s everything I could have hoped for.

Friendships are important.  Maintain the ones you have.  Work to repair the ones that have seen some damage.  Cherish the ones that last long.