"Five Days To Find A Friend"

Last weekend my son Sean and his family came for a visit. That is always a special time because it means I get to play with my grandchildren. Anyway while they were here Genna and I were having a discussion about her school. She is five years old now and in kindergarten.

She was telling me who her teachers are, and what they are doing in school. Then she told me about her friend Gina and how they play together during recess. "She is my outside friend," she told me, " but she is moving away."

Then she got very serious, held up her hand and announced, "I HAVE FIVE DAYS TO FIND AN OUTSIDE FRIEND!" I responded that I was sure she could find other children to play with. She answered, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, POOH. I HAVE FIVE DAYS TO FIND AN OUTSIDE FRIEND!"

She was dead serious and got her point across. I began to worry if she could do it in five days. I became even more apprehensive when Sean told me she didn't have five days. Gina moved last Friday. Now I am really in a panic.

This also got me to thinking about my friends. Looking back I can not determine a pattern that led me to the friends I have. When I was growing up my two best friends were Tommy and Tucker. We were friends through grammar school, high school and college, and afterwards we still stayed in touch. Tucker died in 1999 but Tommy and I still communicate.

There was no reason for the three of us to be best friends. Neither Tommy nor Tucker lived close to me. Both of them were athletic while I was not. Neither of them dated much in high school while I started dating the cheerleader at an early age and stayed with her all through high school. So why were we friends?

It seems like out mutual sense of humor was what drew us together. We laughed at the same things, and we laughed a lot. Usually the jokes were on me but never in a malicious sense. I would do or say something that evidenced my lack of common sense and it would send them into peals of laughter.

Through the years the friends I have gained have come my way through some sort of commonality. It was either being parents with kids, or lately people who are writers. Something shared like that. And the amazing thing is that even as you get older you still make new friends every day.

You will meet someone at church, or through your business, and suddenly you are friends. It sneaks up on you, or at least it does me. I have never consciously made an effort to win over someone into friendship. And that is why I am stewing about Genna. She is on a tight schedule. SHE HAS FIVE DAYS!

I have faith she will succeed. Come on, who could resist a redheaded charmer like she is. I couldn't. She had me even before hello, possibly at first gurgle. And I am betting that new best outside friend is just waiting for her to say hello to him or her.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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