How My Friends Made Me Feel
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou.
Leaving my friends won’t be tough because I intend to keep in touch with everyone. But there won’t be any more in-person coffee and dinner dates. That I’ll miss terribly.
But as technology advances, I find long-distance friendship easier to keep. Gone were the days when it was a dollar a minute. Recently, I have talked to a friend in Demark for two plus hours on a weekend. Another two hours with Miniappolis. Another two hours with Taiwan.
In my experience, my close family and friends remember some of what I did and said better than I do. I had let her stayed at my apartment when she needed a place to crash. Another she met the love of her life, she called me first.
However, I remember clearly meeting my first roommate in college, filling out my first dating profile with help, traveling to far away places with my travel buddies. They brought my book as soon as it was published and read it. Their smiles when I said I wanted to write full-time.
Of course, I don’t remember everything I said or did nor do my friends of mine. That’s an impossible task for normal human brains.
Facebook pops up these memorable posts from the past. I have been pleasantly surprised by all the posts from 15 years ago. Did I say that? How predictable. Or I was so young. And I totally forgot. It’s fun to read them.
Then yes, to Angelou, I don’t remember everything that were said from the last 50+ years of my life. But I know that my close friends and families, old and new, care about me, are willing to listen to me all these years talking about whatever pops up in my head. I rarely feel alone or lonely or sad. I know they back me up having stay and stand by me all these years in different situations. We keep each other in our hearts and minds regardless of age, frequency, location, timezone, marital status, parenthood, or career.
The way I see it, my close friends and familiies and I shared the load for remembering our lives together — we do remember the important words, life events, and big things, with some details sticking out more, and with the help of Facebok reminders, photos, and other digital whatnots. I believe this is the beauty of true living — with one and another creating memories both alone and together, separate and overlapped, all intertwined.
Angelou, you are right. Being part of each other’s lives is an unforgettable feeling that I’ll take my close friends with me no matter where I go.