This summer, my daughter-in-law went into the hospital for a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery (sometimes called keyhole surgery)
The procedure was to last a maximum of two surgical hours with a short overnight stay just to keep an eye on her.
What happened instead was a five+ hour surgery with multiple surgeons, that landed her in the ICU for a ten-day stint being heavily medicated and monitored and being fed by feeding tube for more than eight days.
I went to Las Vegas to help with her convalescent care, take care of my son and grandson in her absence, clean house and make meals.
The good news is she was released from the hospital and by the time I left to travel back to Austin, she was up and about, energetic, enthusiastic about a new business idea, and eager to see the newly-released, Barbie movie.
By the way, my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live about a mile from my ex-husband.
In the second week of my visit, my ex-husband mentioned his older brother and wife were coming into town for a short visit.
I’d not seen my ex-brother-in-law and his wife in well over 30 years. His wife and I used to be the best of friends when we all lived near each other in Colorado.
The reunion was wonderful! It was so good reconnecting with my friend. We talked and laughed just like our friendship hadn’t missed a beat. It was the best.
I want to make certain we continue to stay in touch and continue to update our relationship by making new memories together.
Have you traveled over the summer and met a special person you think could turn into a valued friend?
Maybe you’ve attended a family gathering, or school reunion and want to rekindle an old relationship. Or maybe in some twist of fate want to cultivate a new relationship, born from a spontaneous summer chance meeting.
Whatever the case, with a little attention, the end of summer doesn’t mean the end of our adventures together. With a little thought and consideration, our magical moments of summer can last longer than the hot summer sun.
Here are a few ideas I’m going to institute that may help you as well to keep a friendship alive:
1. Make certain you’ve exchanged contact info. Do you know how to reach your new friend? Do you have phone #’s, email addresses? Can you become their friend on social media?
2. Don’t be afraid to start the conversation. You don’t need to wait for them to make the first call. Be bold and make the first move toward building a longer-term friendship.
3. Send an invite for a video chat. It might be easier to continue to stay in touch and become closer when we actually talk and laugh with a face-to-face chat, even if it is virtual.
4. Is something interesting happening in your town? A festival, concert, play, shopping experience? What about inviting your friend to visit during the special event?
5. Over time, little gifts are nice. So are cards, text messages, funny internet videos, and useful hacks.
Now, it is true this can be a “famous last words” thing. It’s so easy to THINK we’re going to follow up and stay connected. But then life happens and it’s Christmas, and we’ve not so much as sent a text message to our new friend.
For me, the easiest way to keep my desire is to jot down my intention on my personal calendar or add a reminder to my TO DO lists.
You might even use the technique of habit-stacking; adding the new desire to an activity you already perform with regularity. This technique may work to make staying in touch a new habit, especially in the beginning.
At the end of the day, what’s really more important, more rewarding than close relationships? Sure, they take work, but the lovely reward is a life of intimacy.
A life well lived.
Cheers. Stay well. Enjoy the last month of this HOT summer!
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