While I had many friends growing up, one stood out. His name was Philip and his nickname was Junior. His family lived above our third floor apartment in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Junior was the only boy of five children. On many occasions his parents took us boys to Coney Island beach where we enjoyed swimming and playing in the sand. When home, we loved wrestling on the living room floor and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
When I was having a bad day, he was always there. Although Junior and I don’t see each other as often as we used to, we remain friends. Our relationship reminds me of a quote from author Ally Condie, “Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.”
Many of us have childhood friends who will be forever in our lives, but as we age we must continue to make new friends. As adults we may be more fearful of rejection or of a relationship turning bad, but we must seek out new friendships at work, church, the senior center or other places we spend time. Sometimes it means taking a risk and starting a conversation with a stranger, but we must make the most of opportunities to meet new people.
In life, we all face inevitable changes whether it’s in our health, career, housing or family. That’s when we tend to turn to our friends, family and God. These relationships play important roles in determining how we face obstacles. When life gets hard, we need others to lean on. Start building that support today.
