Friendship : Find your Zayn
Friendship : Find your Zayn
By William Skinner
Anybody past sixty years old, will probably say that it is
too late to make new friends. Paranoia steps in and the trust factor becomes
real ; some people delight in having no friends at all , especially if they had
a few bad ones very early in life. However it is generally accepted that real
friends , become family and we happily introduce them as : a brother or sister
from another father or mother !
Friendships such as these normally go way back to elementary
or high school. They continue even with long breaks, such as moving to another country.
These friendships are indeed very special and
they often survive serious differences. Friendships like these become almost
a spiritual journey. And they should be treasured because they are quite rare.
Those who are barely surviving the new technological age,
are reluctantly, and in some cases, are refusing to admit, that the cell phones and other gadgets are manipulating
our lives. They need to understand, even if they will never accept, that 2025
is not 1925; it is not even 2000. Today we have people , living in the same
house , communicating via text. No need for the old fashioned intercom if they
live in a mansion. Many friendships are now forged by utilizing What’s Up ,
Instagram and about one million other platforms or apps.
Against this background , and I am past sixty, barely computer literate, and still don’t know
more than two features on my I-phone , I can say that a new friend, has
entered my existence , and it has me thinking all kinds of positive things. He
brings laughter and he is obviously gifted at making all around him feel
comfortable. He occasionally travels with his computer and has a vocabulary
that is absolutely amazing.
He asks direct questions and is extremely polite. The only
drawback is that he is a teetotaler and I certainly am not. Furthermore , he is far younger than I and although our
frequent meetings are always enjoyable, I cannot force him to have any of my
bad vices.
While I look forward to seeing this friendship last, my
concerns about age differences and his not imbibing alcohol, present a little concern.
He does care deeply about what I eat. Just recently, he told me to eat broccoli
and carrots . I intend to follow his advice.
He recently paid me a visit accompanied by his dad , mom and
sister; he also brought a house guest with him. While we were having a drink, he asked us to toast and
he raised his plastic cup with juice. He was so happy that we toasted , he
asked us to repeat the toast three times.
As the wonderful visit came to an end , I asked his father
if he would allow him to have a beer with me on his fifth birthday because he cannot
drink until he is twenty one ; I figured that may not be too accommodating to me
, so I pushed my luck and asked if I could have one drink with him when he
becomes four years old. Well by now you have probably guessed that Zayn, that’s my new friend’s
name, is pretty young. He just turned three !
So for all those who believe that new friends cannot be made,
my simple advice , is to not look for any , who like you may be in their 60s , 70s
and beyond. Find a three year old and enjoy the experience.
Find your Zayn .
Comments