I loved going to summer camps. I would make these friends that were from another city or state and they were just awesome! It was not uncommon, back in the day, to cry about how much we would miss each other and spend the next few weeks after camp writing letters to each other, only to lose touch and return to the friendships that were most convenient in our towns and classrooms. But then you'd see that campmate again the next summer and it was like no time had passed and the boy-chasing and gossiping would resume in no time.
This past week I have been at a continuing education conference. I came childless, husbandless, and really planning to just attend the lectures and veg out at night with no one to take care of but myself. But a wonderful thing happened, and a thing that so often fails to happen as we age out of the "summer camp days" and into the "real adult world days," I made a friend! We are in the same profession, have kids around the same age, work in the same town and just had never crossed paths. We had time to have lunches and dinners together. We got to know a lot about our kids, husbands, how we made it to this point in life. It has been wonderful!
What I realized is how infrequently this happens at this stage in my life. Sure I meet new people and at what seems to be a snail's pace, we may get to know each other or start to decipher if we fit in each others' busy schedules. Gone are the days where you get to bunk together and share meals and laughs and tell scary stories before lights out. It was so easy to make friends when you were contained in these little summer microcosms. This same quick introduction into friendship happened in college and PA school when it was clear we were all in the same boat of the unknown. But as a working adult, these new friendships are few and far between.
I realize that, although I came looking for solace and downtime and just a chance to watch whatever I freakin' wanted to on TV, sharing a moment with another person is so much more fun and fulfilling. I would've been bored out of my mind by day 2, but instead I had a dinner buddy, a shopping partner and a wine sampling compadre. And the great thing is, I still feel rejuvenated. I got a girls' weekend out of my trip and a friend that I can actually look forward to getting together with when I return home.
I know my summer camp days, the way I knew them to be, are gone. And I know that in today's world of busy-ness, it's easy to shut off the cordialness towards other human beings. But it makes me wonder if I'd never said hello or struck up a conversation if I would've had so much fun this week? I'm glad I didn't have a chance to find that out!
No comments:
Post a Comment