Younger Friends

I watched my parents lose so many of their best friends. Because my mom and dad were successful at a relatively young age, they joined the ranks of older professionals and developed both business and social friendships among them. Unfortunately, when you have older friends, they likely pass away long before it’s your time. And then, if you have my dad’s genes, you are lucky enough to have all your wits about you and you are living into your late nineties. Much as my dad enjoys his family, he misses his friends.

I would urge you as you read this to think about your own life and reach out now and make a few new close friends who are ten, fifteen, or twenty years younger than you are. I find in the workplace years don’t much matter—so that is a great place to encourage a few new professional friendships. On the social side, join clubs, play sports, play cards, work on a charity—all those activities and projects you work on with other people give you the opportunity. Thank goodness, my dad still has a few people with whom he worked that are younger and come visit. And he has made a new friend or two over the years. Think hard about this now. It just could make your older years a whole lot more enriching and fun.