Old Friends

 When I was young, I could move and make new friends.  People at that age I was in, were open to new friendships.  Many of them had moved too.  But now that I am much older, I find that I need to retain those old friends.  The ones from early school days remind me of who I am before I tried to reinvent myself.  The friends I made in my career years I need to keep.  We share some common memories that are precious to growing into mature adulthood.  People my age are not so interested in making new friends.  They have their friends, and are a bit set in their ways.  This is why assisted living places that are good, make a big effort to bring people together.  Old people learn how to be alone since they have lost so much.  But alone is not usually a healthy or even natural way of life.  So, as I move along, I try to retain and revisit these old friends I have made over the years.  Houston, Knoxville, Boulder, New York City, you just may find me about.