225 Do it now!

Do it now!

How many times have we heard or have we said--let’s get together, give me a call, let’s have lunch soon!

Probably too many to count. Most people let loose with these comments without ever planning on making good on them or following up.

Well, it is time, people, to do just that. Make that call, set that visit, reconnect with an old friend, or any similar activity.

It seems lately that many dear friends have left the planet. While contact has been made in many of these cases, not so in some of the others.

A friend of mine for more than 50 years recently passed away and the accolades were numerous--a great person, wonderful teacher, and many other exclamations of love and friendship. If only she had been there to hear them-she would have been thrilled.

Why do we wait to honor those we care about! Death is not the time. Reach out to someone you have been meaning to contact. It really isn’t that hard. Social media makes it very convenient. In most cases, it is also free. On Facebook, a person can send a message, like a comment, love a post, or say something about what is posted. It only takes a few seconds. Likewise, Instagram, Twitter, and other similar platforms provided the opportunity to keep up and even make an initial contact.

Several years ago, my high school classmates started a Facebook page, and since then, my husband and I have communicated with dear friends whom we had not seen in decades. It has been a blessing to reconnect especially since we moved away many years ago. Also, there have been a few trips that brought back so many memories. 

Now sometimes these reunions will not always be successful. You may realize the person is not who you remember and may disagree completely with you on many topics. I actually had a classmate unfriend a few of us after some decided differences in philosophy. But don’t let this discourage--it didn’t me.

In addition, through social media we now keep up with cousins we grew up with but lost touch due to moving miles away and letting life events get in the way. It has been equally rewarding to communicate with them and visit in some cases. 

None of this would have happened without modern methods of communication. So there is no excuse! Reach out and find out what is going on in their lives and share yours before it is too late. If you are not technologically savvy, ask a younger person for help or even a grandchild--they definitely know how to communicate.

In a recent novel by John Grisham, The Rooster Bar, one of the characters laments that he hates funerals. “What purpose did they serve? There were far better ways to console the loved ones than gathering in a packed church to talk about the deceased and have a good cry.” Many people will disagree with this, but it does encourage us to communicate before it is too late. Funerals are for the ones left behind not the one who is gone.

We shouldn’t wait until it is too late to make the contact and let others know how we feel. If only my friend could have heard the wonderful things her former students and colleagues were saying about her. It would have made her day.

Go ahead – do it. Make someone’s day.

Frances