Betsy (left) with her best friend from childhood, Pat
Betsy Lydle Smith
I have to admit, one morning I woke up feeling sad and with some anxiety. I looked out my window just as the sun was coming up, and saw a gorgeous sunrise, with a layer of pink peeking through white, puffy clouds scattered throughout the sky. I got dressed, grabbed my hat, phone, and earbuds, and started on my daily walk, listening to uplifting music, moving into gratitude, but still feeling sad. I was feeling lonely, wishing I had a really good friend to talk to.
I continued walking until I came to my favorite spot, a small park, with grass, palm trees, and desert flowers blooming. I sat on a bench, overlooking this refuge. I noticed a couple picking up their small dogs and walking briskly away as a coyote was trotting through. Just as I sat down, my phone rang. It was my best friend from childhood. How could she have known that I needed to talk and hear from a friend? My friend Pat and I talk only a few times a year. She lives in New York and I’m in Arizona. Even though she has some dementia, we are each other’s history keepers. Not a year goes by when she doesn’t call on my birthday, and I call on hers. We are exactly one month apart. Who else knows that we played in the secret passageway in her house on Pine Street, or that we played tennis together for hours all summer at the court next door. I remember her beloved cocker spaniels, Blackie and Topper. She remembers my grandmother, who died when I was 10. I remember that she met her husband when she was in high school, and she tells me it was actually in eighth grade, and I hear more of the story. She is a widow now; her beloved Bill has been gone for many years. I treasure her friendship of more than 50 years.
“Friendliness is reaching out to others with warmth and caring. Friendship is essential to our souls. The presence of a friend can soothe us, unleash our laughter, amplify our joy and diminish our sorrow. Friendliness is the best cure for loneliness. I am thankful for the gift of friendliness. It makes me a true companion.”—Virtues Reflection Card on Friendliness, with permission from The Virtues Project.
Pick up the phone today and CALL a friend. It’s the best cure for loneliness! And there’s nothing like a human voice to cheer you up!
Meaningful Conversations: Aging Gracefully and Gratefully
Please join us for Meaningful Conversations with Virtues. On April 21, we begin a 5-week series called “Aging Gracefully and Gratefully.” We’ll meet Tuesdays, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Cheyenne Room. All are welcome. For information and to register, contact betsy@virtuestraining.com.