I reconnected with an old friend this week, and then I received a wedding invitation from another old friend. I should clarify that these are not old people as in geriatrics, but as in old friends from high school. Way back. From the Good Ole Days (better known as the Days of Paranoid Introspection and Self-Conciousness). Upon receiving the invitation, I had one of those moments of hopeful delusion, and I sat at my computer and tried to figure out if I could actually make it to this wedding. In Maryland. I checked on mapquest and discovered that the location in Maryland is actually 1200 miles from where I currently live, and then I calculated how many gallons of gas I would require if my car averaged 27 miles per gallon, and after that I figured the total amount I would spend if gas averaged $3 a gallon. I even included the price of really cheap hotel rooms, planning to stay with my grandparents in North Carolina on the way back. I decided to wait to see the newlyweds in July when we're all back in Nebraska again. (I should add here that this is the second time I'm typing all of this, and it does NOT seem as cool or clever the second time around, but oh well.) I've never met the wife-to-be, but I've seen pictures and heard great stories, and I know she's going to be a wonderful wife for my friend.

As I reflect on all of this rekindling of old friendships, I think about the strangeness of friendships that stretch over long periods of years. I think that most friendships, especially those from high school, never make it much past high school. And if it's a guy/girl friendship, and it lasts, then there's the inevitable When Harry Met Sally issue--is it something more or is it just friendship? And if the friendship survives that phase, there's the difficulty of just staying in touch and keeping up to date on things. The battle I find now is that when I talk with old friends, it seems that all there is to talk about is the past. And that only can last so long in a conversation before I start wishing I was somewhere else.

I'm posting an old high school photo in memory of good friendships come and gone (or still sticking around). I miss you guys.