“Hey, Bob. Do you think we’ll still be friends in 10 years?”
“Well, we’re married Clarice. I should think so.”
“I don’t know, Bob. They say the average friendship these days only lasts seven years.”
“Well here, google says the average marriage in New York City lasts about 12.2 years. So we’ve got a bit longer.”
“But, Bob… If we’re only friends for seven of those years than who will I watch Sherlock with for the last five?”
“Oh you can just watch it with Betty from work.”
“Oh Bob, you know she just stays around for my money!”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. Ain’t it?”
There are approximately 7.48 billion people on this earth. Each one of us will meet approximately 426 people in 4 years. Of the friends we have right now, only 1 in 12 will be with us for more than seven years, and that’s assuming there aren’t just Bobs and Clarices around every street corner. If we make about 24 friends in that time, then we will still only have two left sticking in it for the long haul. However, that’s still 22 people who we might never see again. What do we do about this? I guess one logical conclusion would be to not waste your time with those other 22 people. But is that wise?
Health-wise it would not be, as having few good friends and connections can actually be as hazardous for us as some diseases. This is on top of the fact that simply ignoring other people limits your ability to influence each other’s lives. It also assumes that we know exactly who those 22 people are and can precisely pick them out of a lineup, which is just unrealistic. A friend that seems in it for the long run now is not always guaranteed to be your 1 in 12. So what do we do?
A lot of the time, we can assume that our friends will be here forever. So we live as if that was the case. We give great gifts to new people that enter our lives, significant others especially, but to our friends that have been here so long, we choose not to.The reason is we don't think it’s necessary.
So, If friendship is all temporary, then why go through the trouble of appreciating friends at all right now?
Let’s look at this differently: If friendship is only temporary, then why wouldn’t we go through all the stops to appreciate our friends more while they’re still here--while we still have the chance to? The present is the present whether we like it or not. Sometimes you may wish the past was back. Sometimes you may wish the future would come a little faster.
But right now, is where we are.
It’s where we have the opportunity to make the best present possible. So why not do that? Sure, be excited for the future! Have pleasant memories of the past!
But don't forget where you are. Because this moment…
Will never come back.
You have great friends. Make the most of that! And if you don't, you only have to wait at most, 7 years. Because maybe the present isn’t always a transition. Maybe it’s just the present--a gift.
So to conclude, we will run into a lot of people in this world, 426 in four years. Only a select few will make it into the elite class of almighty Bob’s and Clarice’s. But this does not mean that the other 22, and likewise 424, are insignificant. Each person we meet and will meet touches our lives. And we touch there’s, oftentimes more than we will ever know. But we must appreciate them. We must make the best present possible because these people in our lives simply will not always be here! We only have one chance to show them how we really feel. Let’s take it, and make this year the best one yet.
