Got friends?

One of the secrets to aging well is that you have to have friends. It is important to surround yourself with a great group of people that you can call friends. These people can be members of your family, members of your inner community or people you met while traveling. The key is to have people that you stay in touch with over the course of your life. The reason that developing friendships can keep you youthful is that life is better shared with others. There is a common saying that which is that you can’t really tickle yourself. The act of tickling achieves its highest potential when it is someone else doing the tickling. What this means is that there are moments in life that we need other people to make life more enjoyable.

Keeping in touch with established relationships is crucial to aging well. As we get older, it is often difficult to keep in touch with friends. However, a continuous effort must be made. Let me share a quick story. I saw a couple the other day at an event. I’m going to assume that they are in their late forties or early fifties. At this event, I watched them keep to themselves even though they were surrounded by people that they once had established relationships with. They appeared to be uncomfortable and they stayed mostly in the corner while others around them mingled. While it is perfectly expected to feel alienated at an event in which the people are mostly strangers, it is strange to feel alienated from everyone at an event that most people are acquaintances or friends. While it is also expected to lose touch with some people over the years, there is a serious issue that probably needs to be corrected if touch is lost with most people in your circle of friends.

The main point of the story and this post is that as we get older, more than ever it is important to not only make friends but to keep in touch with some of them. There will be highs and lows, and there will be smooth sailing and rocky ships, but true friendships whether 1 or 20, will make aging better.