Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to invest in your old friendships. You cannot
Speaker 1: make an old friend. You can make a new one
Speaker 1: who might become an old one, but you can't just
Speaker 1: make an old one. So figure out ways to sustain
Speaker 1: the longtime friendships you value, and you will probably be
Speaker 1: happier overall. So, as the Childhood's song advises, we are
Speaker 1: wise to make new friends but keep the old as
Speaker 1: our lives unfold. It's great to make new friends who
Speaker 1: share our current experiences and priorities, and it is natural
Speaker 1: that older friendships ebb and flow. We go through more
Speaker 1: or less close times as people have other stuff in
Speaker 1: their lives or inter phases of life at different times.
Speaker 1: But even so, it is wise to thoughtfully maintain the
Speaker 1: old friendships we value, because you can't make an old friend,
Speaker 1: and it is quite possible that a time will come
Speaker 1: in life when you will want to be close again.
Speaker 1: So think about people you have been close with in
Speaker 1: the past, and think about how you might warm up
Speaker 1: these relationships. If you sometimes text with a friend, suggest
Speaker 1: getting together for coffee or lunch, or you might do
Speaker 1: something else that revives an old shared interest. If you
Speaker 1: used to play soccer together, maybe you could watch a
Speaker 1: major soccer match together at a sports bar. Of course,
Speaker 1: I know one of the biggest barriers to maintaining old
Speaker 1: friendships is that many of us don't live near our
Speaker 1: old friends. People move for school, for work, for family,
Speaker 1: and because we don't see each other in our day
Speaker 1: to day lives, we can't maintain the connections as easily.
Speaker 1: But technology is so helpful these days. You might suggest
Speaker 1: a zoom meet up with an old friend and I
Speaker 1: am sure you will find yourself chatting pretty easily. Or
Speaker 1: this is an important realization, you can travel. Even just
Speaker 1: seeing someone once a year can maintain a relationship pretty
Speaker 1: well if you've got some flexibility with your time and
Speaker 1: some disposable income, as I know is true for a
Speaker 1: lot of people who listen to this podcast. You can
Speaker 1: get in your car or get on a plane and go.
Speaker 1: If it has truly been a while and you want
Speaker 1: to ease into things, you can identify people you are
Speaker 1: once close to and come up with a plausible reason
Speaker 1: you would be in the area. Lots of us can
Speaker 1: do many things for work, or we could go to
Speaker 1: concerts or shows or visit extended family members and stop
Speaker 1: by and see an old friend on the way. Then
Speaker 1: once you have done that, it will be a lot
Speaker 1: easier to maintain the connection. You send texts and photos
Speaker 1: and keep them posted on your life. Life is long.
Speaker 1: It feels good to have friends on the journey who
Speaker 1: share past memories and experiences with us. So if there
Speaker 1: is an old friend who has been on your mind lately,
Speaker 1: consider reaching out. Renewing your friendship could give you a
Speaker 1: sense of connection to the old friend and to your
Speaker 1: past self too. I'd love to hear about your experiences
Speaker 1: maintaining or rekindling old friendships. You can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this
Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows,