Oh, shit - Liz, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. So glad that you took the time and made the commitment to reconnect with him. I guess you just never know...
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. How wonderful that you don't have regret for the time you didn't get together but can instead relive the time you did and how wonderful it was to be together. Let those memories comfort you in your grief. Thank you for the reminder to take the time as it passes all too quickly.
I am so sorry for your loss. I have lost touch with so many people over the years and there are some I think of fondly. I have tried to maintain friendships with some people but the lack of response shows me that they mean more to me than I do to them. That does not stop me from trying!
Wow. Talk about a ton of bricks, Liz. I am beyond sad that you've lost your friend. And way too soon. But I'm very beyond happy that you connected, really connected. Your message could not be more clear. Its so easy to isolate ourselves, to hide behind that damn digital curtain. I thank you deeply for the lesson.
Your piece rings true for me - I've written on this subject too from time to time, and Dan Pink has written a great book on evils of regret and he's got some talks about it on YouTube. What I've found really rewarding in this vain is the response when someone takes me up on that suggestion of reconnecting and also how I react when I they call. Some people are unsettled, but most want to catch up. What I've noticed in my 'always too busy for long winded calls', is that I find I'm tuning everything else out - I pour my coffee, put my headset on and talk with them until the have to go or we run out of things to talk about. Sometimes that's an hour, sometimes it's two. We seem to come away changed, and improved from the process. I also have memories - powerful vivid ones years later - of having reached to an ill friend when we had a long conversation. In one case, my friend Gary died that evening from his pancreatic cancer, but he was 'his old self' through the call which he ended with "I have to go, they are here to draw some blood and make me pee; I look forward to your visit this weekend". The other, my friend Barbara, was 'only up for a 10 minute call, if at all' according to Neil, but he took the phone to her bed; it turned out that she was up for talking - and we talked for nearly too hours before she had to go. She died days later. I am so appreciative of those conversations - they are better that anything I could hold in my hand of put on a shelf - they were magic. I can still hear them laughing. Loved your piece. Cheers, Mark
Wow Mark, thanks for sharing all of this. (I'm sorry I'm just seeing it for some reason.) I love your reminder that when we spend the time -- if only on the phone -- "we come away changed." Our moods, our perspectives, our lightness from that removal of longing.
Sending you peace and good memories in all the difficult times of loss. xo
I am so very sorry for your loss. Thank you for the reminder to make the call, write the email, get in touch. It’s so very important; life is so fleeting.
Oh, shit - Liz, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. So glad that you took the time and made the commitment to reconnect with him. I guess you just never know...
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. How wonderful that you don't have regret for the time you didn't get together but can instead relive the time you did and how wonderful it was to be together. Let those memories comfort you in your grief. Thank you for the reminder to take the time as it passes all too quickly.
I am so sorry for your loss. I have lost touch with so many people over the years and there are some I think of fondly. I have tried to maintain friendships with some people but the lack of response shows me that they mean more to me than I do to them. That does not stop me from trying!
Don’t stop trying - you never know what’s going on in their lives (or minds) and it may have nothing to do with how much they would like to see you. 💗
I'm sorry for your loss. 🙏🏻😢
Guilty of this too. Just last week, I missed plans with two people. Thank you for the reminder that we've got to make it happen.
Thank you for this post, this reminder to just make that connection. I’m so sorry for your loss, Liz - so so sad 💗
Amen. Thank you for this reminder.
Wow. Talk about a ton of bricks, Liz. I am beyond sad that you've lost your friend. And way too soon. But I'm very beyond happy that you connected, really connected. Your message could not be more clear. Its so easy to isolate ourselves, to hide behind that damn digital curtain. I thank you deeply for the lesson.
I’ve very sorry about your friend. This piece gave me a lot to think about.
Thank you Chris, I appreciate that.
Your piece rings true for me - I've written on this subject too from time to time, and Dan Pink has written a great book on evils of regret and he's got some talks about it on YouTube. What I've found really rewarding in this vain is the response when someone takes me up on that suggestion of reconnecting and also how I react when I they call. Some people are unsettled, but most want to catch up. What I've noticed in my 'always too busy for long winded calls', is that I find I'm tuning everything else out - I pour my coffee, put my headset on and talk with them until the have to go or we run out of things to talk about. Sometimes that's an hour, sometimes it's two. We seem to come away changed, and improved from the process. I also have memories - powerful vivid ones years later - of having reached to an ill friend when we had a long conversation. In one case, my friend Gary died that evening from his pancreatic cancer, but he was 'his old self' through the call which he ended with "I have to go, they are here to draw some blood and make me pee; I look forward to your visit this weekend". The other, my friend Barbara, was 'only up for a 10 minute call, if at all' according to Neil, but he took the phone to her bed; it turned out that she was up for talking - and we talked for nearly too hours before she had to go. She died days later. I am so appreciative of those conversations - they are better that anything I could hold in my hand of put on a shelf - they were magic. I can still hear them laughing. Loved your piece. Cheers, Mark
Wow Mark, thanks for sharing all of this. (I'm sorry I'm just seeing it for some reason.) I love your reminder that when we spend the time -- if only on the phone -- "we come away changed." Our moods, our perspectives, our lightness from that removal of longing.
Sending you peace and good memories in all the difficult times of loss. xo
I am so very sorry for your loss. Thank you for the reminder to make the call, write the email, get in touch. It’s so very important; life is so fleeting.
Thanks Jennifer. ❤️
Oh death you sting. 🤗💕