Time with A Friend & An Interesting Cocktail

I've heard people say that you shouldn't save "nice things" for special occasions. I think the sentiment refers to things like your "good" dishes or a fancy piece of clothing or an expensive candle. Recently a friend of mine got me thinking about how this idea applies to people too. 

This is a friend who I met fifteen years ago when our daughters were babies in daycare together. Our whole family became friends, and at one point we spent time together on a weekly basis. Now that our kids are older and we don't live quite as close to one another, I probably only see her every couple of months. 

In February we met to have a drink and catch up, and she told me that an old friend of hers had unexpectedly passed away. It was shocking to her, not only because he was relatively young, but because she had been planning to get together with him and, due to one thing or another, the plans never came about. She told me that it was for that reason that she reached out to me to grab a drink together: she wanted to make an effort to spend time with her friends because, as they say, life is short.

Afterwards, I kept thinking about her story, and the aphorism "don't save the good stuff for later" came to mind. Spending time with good friends is a delight, and I shouldn't wait for a special occasion to make plans. In particular, this friend is not only fun to be around, but she is a wonderful listener and an encouraging cheerleader to me. 

We agreed that we should try to meet up every month, so the other day we met again at SOW Plated to catch up, share an appetizer, and have a cocktail. The weather was beautiful, I was spending time with a dear friend, and this beet and ginger cocktail was both tasty and beautiful. It was delightful all around.

 

As we parted ways, she called out, "Let's do this again in a month?"

And I replied, "Yes! Definitely!"