Shared experiences are the way friendships are built. Doing things together is how we get to know someone. If there is trust, there may also be the deep personal sharing that makes a lasting bond.
I’m lucky to have some friends whom I see and/or talk to every few weeks, and while lockdown has meant catchups in person have to wait, a longer gap is not a difficulty.
What I do grudge is the fact that being on Level 4 means the cancellation of my weekly beach walk with a special friend.
The combination of being out in nature and hearing about each other’s lives has been a highlight of our week for about 15 years. A phone conversation is good, but not the same. I yearn for the day when we are again free to meet with whomever we wish, and suspect lockdown will not be lifted for some time yet.
This week two old friends have died, one in Auckland, and one in Invercargill. These are friendships that have grown fainter with distance, but news of death brings back memories. This is especially true of the Auckland friend who visited us just a couple of months ago. In ordinary times we would not have travelled to either of these funerals, but I feel acutely for family unable to make plans for ceremonies in these uncertain days.
So many things will have to wait
while Delta’s knocking at the gate