A Good Walk Unspoiled

On a recent Sunday morning, I connected with an old high school friend. It started with a message via Facebook Messenger—”I’m going to be in town this weekend. Are you around?” While it has easily been 8 years or more since Maggie and I last saw each other, we maintain a connection through Facebook and Instagram so we feel fairly connected. But I couldn’t be more wrong.

Maggie picked up the Muffins and I picked up the coffee and we met at my house. A quick hug and a tour of my latest reno project (a story for another day) and down the road we walked to the lake.

As we sat at a lakeside picnic table sharing muffins and coffee, we caught up on all the surface stuff. Who have you seen from high school? How is your family? Career? Etc. But then we pitched our breakfast in the trash bin and set off for a walk. As we walked, we talked of next chapters, past disappointments, family health issues and current politics. We covered a lot of ground figuratively and literally.

As we ambled through the woods, I thought of who we were at 18 and how our lives had evolved. I realized that the thread of connection established 30 years ago had never broken. Social media had done its job keeping us loosely connected. But it is the in person, face to face conversations where relationships are built, where human connection truly exists. The term “Facebook Friend” does a disservice to the word “friend.” As friendships are built through the sharing of hopes and dreams, loss and disappointments. That’s the really good stuff. The rest, the filter-enhanced social media stuff—that is just the filler, the fluff.

As we wrapped up our walk and said our goodbyes, I knew that our friendship had been renewed because a good walk on a Sunday afternoon is where friendships are built.