Recently, I had a get-together with a friend. We became friends because my youngest son and his child have been friends since daycare. Now they’re in fourth grade, and somewhere along the way, their friendship became ours too.
My friend moved to the United States when he was in middle school. He’s now in his forties. Three of his friends came to visit him here for the first time. He had gone back to see them a couple of times, but this was their first trip to visit him.
I invited them over for drinks. We were having fun and talking about all kinds of things, but one part of the conversation stayed with me.
One of his friends talked about wondering how he would greet him when they finally saw each other. Would he hug him? Would it be a handshake? He had actually been thinking about that moment.
Listening to him was heartwarming. Here were men in their forties, and one of them was describing the anticipation of seeing his friend again. To me, the fact that he had thought so much about that greeting showed how happy he was to see him.
Sometimes we talk about friendship through the things we do together. But that conversation reminded me of something simpler: having someone you’re excited to see. Someone whose presence means enough that you imagine the moment before it happens.
That’s the feeling I wanted to share. How good it is to have someone in your life you want to hug after time apart—and how meaningful it is to be that person for someone else.
The evening was just drinks and conversation, but I left with a little more appreciation for those friendships. They’re worth making time for.