A couple weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to meet former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I am an intern. During the hour President Clinton spent with my fellow interns and me, he told us stories, answered questions and, most importantly, gave us advice. President Clinton is obviously a smart man–aside from being both a governor and a president, he also attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from Yale Law School. He knows how the world works and how to succeed within it. So, I think it was no accident that one of the final messages he left us young adults with was: “Keep your old friends.”
It seems like such a simple concept. As we grow older, we should check in with the people we knew in elementary, middle and high school. We should call them a couple times a year and maybe even get together for lunch. However, this is easier said than done. Most of the time, our methods of keeping up with our old friends include liking their photos on Instagram or commenting on their Facebook statuses. We don’t make a real effort to connect with the people we were once so close to. But we should.
The friends we made in our pre-teen to teen years love us for who we are. They met us at our most awkward stages, yet they still sat with us at lunch. They didn’t care how much money we had or how popular we were—they just liked to be around us, and we felt the same way about them. We should still feel this way, because most of the time, these people don’t change. They knew us before our greatest successes and darkest failures, and they don’t judge us either way. To them, we are still the person they always chose to be their lab partner in science class.
Our childhood friends know the real us, which is why hanging out with them is so easy. There’s a reason why we can go years without seeing these friends and suddenly pick up as though no time has passed: We have a deep connection to these people. They know where we came from. They were with us as we slowly became adults. They remember the monumental moments that shaped our lives. These friends who grew with us will never betray us.
In Proverbs 18:24, it is written, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” New friends come and go. Some will become great friends, but most of them will never truly invest in us. The friends who remained with us through the most difficult years are the ones who actually impact our lives.
After President Clinton told us to “Keep our old friends,” he added that, just before he visited with us, he saw one of his grade school friends at the Presidential Center. He explained to us that, if he were to lose everything he had accomplished in his life, that friend would still be there for him. When President Clinton brought up his old friend, it reminded me of all of the people I was close to growing up–I know they will always have my back, no matter what. If I ever get a big head, I know they will humble me, and if I ever lose confidence, I know they will lift me up. The friends who knew me before I really became me will always support me and, if needed, give me a reality check.
It may not always be easy to arrange meetings with old friends, but it is worth it. If you are struggling, your old friends will help you. If you are celebrating, they will be happy for you. With these friends, there is no catch—they don’t want anything from you but your time. We should make an effort to give these friends as much time as possible.
After all, if a former president can keep in touch with his old friends, so can we.
