Just got off the phone with my friend, Stuart. We met each other 26 years ago when we were recruiters at the high technology services company, EDS. We went on to partner as Recruiting Managers on our own. We love to get on the ‘phone and laugh and laugh. We are talking about collaborating on a project together. Whenever I think of Stuart I get a huge smile on my face.
My friend, Bob, called me from the airport in Denver, this week. He will be moving to Denver soon. We shared stories of our lives, marriages and especially laughed about the pranks we all played on each other when we were Recruiting Managers working together. We have known each other for 25 years. Bob was in my wedding in 1984.
Mark and I talked on Tuesday. He is living in Boulder, doing executive search. He shared “Paul Bunyanesque” stories of survival and adventure. Mark and I did campus recruiting 25 years ago - the year my staff had requirements to hire 3,000 people for EDS - an amazing story in itself!
Betty will be calling me this week. We have been friends for over 20 years. I still love to make Betty’s famous zucchini bread recipe. We met when Betty was the Administrative Manager for the Recruiting Dept at EDS. Can’t wait to catch up with Betty.
What a great feeling to have such good friends for a quarter of a century and to have kept in touch is especially grand! Hate to admit that it has been over 20 years since the last time I have talked to any of these dear friends. I ask myself how so much time went by. All the usual excuses come to mind: I moved to the West Coast - they were on the East Coast; I left the field - most of them stayed in. What would we possibly talk about after so long? And my favorite - life is just so busy; who has time!
Well, since the back injury, yours truly has found herself with plenty of time. I am back to work part time and the rest of the time taking stock of what is most important. What I am finding is that it is the relationships in life that have the most meaning.
How did I get back in touch after twenty five years when none of my previous contact information was up to date? One day I had an invitation from http://www.linkedin.com to connect with a colleague. In the past I had seen the free site as primarily for business connections. This time, for fun, I searched for people I had fallen out of touch with socially. Bingo, I located the profiles of over 15 of my long lost friends. All it took was a quick note through LinkedIn, with an invitation to get back in touch, and six of us were reunited instantly.
With LinkedIn and other social and business networking sites, you can search for the contact information and a profile of colleagues from your previous schools and businesses. My friend Stuart and I talked about the ease with which we can now do our networking on-line. No more boring cocktail parties or “do you come here often” inquiries. We can connect at home in our jammies and bunny slippers.
Staying in close connection with old friends helps us to weave the colorful tapestry of our lives. We can stand back and really see the richness of our existence through our relationships.
If you haven’t reached out to an old friend in a while, do it now. Pick up the phone, send an email or acquaint yourself with an on-line networking site. Like my friend Mark said, “Let’s not wait another twenty-five years to get back in touch - we truly may not have the time”.
Love to hear your feedback and ideas. Drop me a line at susan.whipple@50Fabulous.com.
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