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Barbara Hemphill's avatar

My childhood was exactly the opposite of you. I lived on a farm not close to anyone, and had only one sibling six years younger than I. I went to a one-room country school where I was continually bullied (I was the only one wearing glasses, I has psoriasis, and wore high-top shoes because of a leg deformity). As a result, I never learned to "play," and play is important to relationship-building. It continues to be a struggle, but as my mother-in-law put it, "Every day in every way I'm getting better and better!"

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Lance J Welter's avatar

As we say in Masonry - "So mote be." This is an extremely interesting and poignant article for the current times. Some random thoughts:

My placed-base friends came not only from the neighborhood but also from my college fraternity and after 50 years, our friendship and love between us still remains strong.

Interestingly, as life went on, I used these college friendships as my yardstick when encountering potential new placed-base friendships. It sounds crazy but true, and my yardstick never failed me.

With all my "true" friendships even if we have not seen one another for years, after ten minutes or so, it is like no time has passed because the bond is so strong.

Thank you for writing this. I will forward

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