One is Silver and the Other is Gold

I had the good fortune to have a fun lunch on Monday with three women I went to college with. One was my college roommate, who I've kept in touch with for the more than four decades since we graduated, despite living in different cities, states and sometimes, even countries. Happily now we live only a mile apart and just a quick bus ride away. The other two women I didn't know in college, despite all of us being part of a class of not quite four hundred. We connected at our class mini-reunion in April and now I am having the pleasure of making new friends. We have the bonds of shared college years, a love of reading and an enjoyment of art museums as our connections as well as a desire for friendship.

Our lunch made me think about how we form friendships, especially in this changing season of our lives. Through the years many of my friendships were made at work. Most drifted away when we no longer worked together but some grew stronger through the years. I was fortunate to join a book club almost twenty years ago, but that invitation came via work friends. I have also made friends from participation in synagogue activities and that has grown and flourished through the years, too.

A decade ago I made my first foray into social media by signing into a thread on the Weight Watchers site. I didn't expect much -- actually just diet support -- and made a great group of friends all over the country. I was initially hesitant -- what if the women I chatted with weren't who they said they were -- but I took a chance and met one of them who has visiting New York. Julie was exactly who she said she was. Blogging opened up a still wider world and I began to meet my blog buddies who lived all over the world. This week I will spend time with my English blog buddy, Sheilagh, on her third trip to New York. She no longer blogs and I realize it's time to drop the phrase blog buddy. She is simply my friend, no matter how we met.

In another time I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. One of my favorite songs was "Make New Friends." We sang it in a round and I never tired of it. The words were simple:

"Make New Friends, But Keep the Old,

One is Silver and the Other is Gold."

I'm pretty sure I will never grow tired of the thoughts in this song. When I was a scout I couldn't imagine all that the song would come to mean and that the treasure my golden friends would be. I also couldn't imagine the beauty of my new beautiful silver friends. You are all treasures. How have you made new friends in the fifty and sixty plus years? Have your thoughts on friendship changed?

I also mentioned date cake on Monday and here is the dessert we shared at our lunch. An almost lava-like cake, but using dates instead of chocolate and a wonderful coconut ice cream to go with it. One thing that has changed is the ability for the four of us to share one very sweet dessert and be quite content. 

  The coconut ice cream is resting on a macaroon-like cookie, which we enjoyed a lot, too. 

To celebrate the first of October I'd like to share this photo. I took it in the area around the restaurant. It's the wholesale flower district and I loved this bright and colorful display.  Welcome October!

I want to apologize for skipping a post yesterday. I saw Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," last night. It was a good production, but the story is bleak and sad and I wasn't up to posting when I got home. 

Please stop by tomorrow. It's time for a book giveaway.

As ever thanks for visiting and enjoy the autumn. Take good care.