I got a call from an old friend last Monday. Even though we had not seen each other in almost 20 years I knew her immediately. Dorothy (her real name) is now 87 years young. She travels with a walker, She can only hear from her right ear. Her husband passed away 5 years ago. The arthritis in her hands stole her joy of writing. You would think she’d be all gloomy but no. She sounded as spritely as the day I last saw her. And her memory and sense of humor are still intact. We must have spoken for an hour.

After her call I thought about my other old friends and realized I have so many older friends. Lee, another old friend sent me a few of his mug shots. When he read I did caricatures of some nurses 2 weeks back, he was emboldened to ask for his own caricature. Only real friends would dare ask that kind of favor. I did a quickie and he said he loved it. Now he wants to have dinner with me and my wife when isolation is no longer a fad.

Lois, another older friend who I collaborated with in her book (Tom the Mouse), is moving way out North to be closer to her grown up daughter. I intend to help her blow her 90th birthday candle before she moves away. I will miss seeing her.

John, my business partner is pushing 80 as well and I enjoy talking about our business and about social issues since he’s also a history professor.

Tom, Mike, Ed, Mel, Chuck, Don, Heather, John … good friends … old friends. They replete with wisdom. They have so much to share. Although their bodies slow them down, their minds are still alert and active. Why do I love chats with old people? Could it be that I’m “old people” too?

Dorothy said our phone conversation made her day.  I’m sorry to disagree because it was she that made mine.

Be safe, be healthy, and remember, if you are blessed with an old friend, wisdom is there for the picking. TGIF people!

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.  — Proverbs 19:20

Raoul

A dear friend of mine called me early this week … by “early” I mean past midnight. He was feeling terrible and needed someone to talk to. He kept me up past 3 am.  I’m a very light sleeper and when someone messes my sleep, it’s hard to get back to my regular rhythm (which is already bad to begin with). So these past days I’ve been feeling jet lagged but without the jet.

Sometimes I would just stare at the screen while my mind went to dreamland. Sometimes I would wake up with my neck craned all the way to the back of my chair mouth open wide. It couldn’t have come at a worse time because I needed to resolve a programming issue. So I took a drug that wasn’t healthy. Yes, I admit it. I gave in to the “feeling” … I took a cup of coffee.

I know what you’re thinking. “What’s wrong with coffee?” I’ve been an insomniac most of my life. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized it was because I was sensitive to caffeine. I shouldn’t even drink Coke after 6 or I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Weird, huh? Coffee in the morning is usually fine but I shouldn’t indulge in it because coffee also raises my blood pressure.

I guess I’m just gettin’ old. But you know what? It’s all good. Better to have jet lag and be sleepy and knowing that you were able to help a fellow human being in his moment of despair.

Be safe, be healthy, and remember to count your blessings if you can sleep soundly because that’s a luxury for me.  TGIF people!

Raoul