The Daily Balance

One is silver and the other GOLD. More on that in a moment…

So as most of you know, the Mister and I are headed to NYC next week. I’m there the first half of the week on business and staying through the weekend for pleasure. While the Mister and I have been compiling lists of places we want to eat (shocking, I know!), what we’re most excited about is having a chance to catch up with one of our best friends, who happened to move to the city a few months ago. This week I’m thankful for all the resources we have that allow us to keep in touch with family and friends around the world. Gone are the days of telegrams and operators. Now all you need is a cell phone or a computer to get in touch with your friends and family within seconds.

Many of my best friends live all over the country and it’s hard to stay a part of their lives without seeing them. While I’m still working on the transition of these friendships myself, I’ve put together some tips that might help or assist you in maintaining your important relationships with those that you’ve been separated from.

Talk to each other about the new places you live. Send a photo of some of your favorite places, or how you’ve decorated your home. Ask them to do the same. It’ll help you stay ‘in the know.’ Tell them about the new people you are meeting and what types of things you are doing. You want to keep each other informed. Often when people move they feel like they don’t know about each other’s lives and so start to fade out of them.

Email. Facebook. Twitter. Take advantage of these convenient opportunities to stay involved in your friends’ lives. Do they have a blog? Read it! The more you know about their lives the closer to them you’ll feel. The great thing about utilizing email and other social media networks is that you can do it on your own schedule. You get to decide when to email and when to respond back. If you are busy, put it off until you have a moment. You also won’t have to worry about time zones or interrupting someone in the middle of dinner.

Visit. It can be planned or a surprise. Take turns visiting each other, say every year or every other year. One of the perks of having friends all over the place is the great excuse they make for a vaca! Take a road trip and escape from your day-to-day life to pay them a visit and soak up their new home. It will be a nice vacation for both of you and will be a great time to see each other and talk face to face. While technology is a convenient tool, it doesn’t replace face-to-face communication.

Don’t forget holidays and birthdays. Write them all down in your calendar now. I’m TERRIBLE at remembering stuff like this, but I know how much it means to me when I receive phone calls and cards from friends on my birthday, so I try and make sure I do the same.

Write letters. So often people underestimate the power of the written word. How many of you light up when you receive snail mail? Chances are that your friends react similarly. Take some time to send the occasional card or letter — it will go a long way.

Yes, it can be difficult to keep in touch with old friends. I always like to compare friendships to a novel or book (and bear with me here…). Think about it… When you are reading a book or a novel sometimes certain characters are missing for a few chapters and reappear later in the story or perhaps aren’t mentioned again until later in the series. Maybe their character never makes another appearance. Either way, the character changed the story and impacted the path it took. Friends are the same way. They might not appear in every chapter of your life, but each one of them has touched and affected your story. It’s OK if you aren’t talking to some of your friends EVERY DAY. With all that goes on in our busy lives, there just isn’t time to keep up with everyone. But that doesn’t mean that your ‘cast of characters’ is any less important in your life.

Do what you can to stay in touch with those who mean most to you. It would be such a shame to lose someone who was such a large part of your life over distance. Try some of the tips I mentioned. Even if you send out an email, you will be able to get back in touch and build upon your existing relationship.

Silver and Gold (image credit: blog.freepeople.com)

How do you keep in touch with friends who you’ve been separated from?

Remember — Fashion Friday contest entries are due by midnight tonight!

14 Responses to “Thankful Thursday – Make new friends, but keep the old…”

1. megan said:

   E-mail, Facebook, and Twitter all keep me connected with family and friends. I love that you can post pictures and it makes them feels so much closer. Good post!

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 10:16 am | Reply
2. kirwin said:

   Great post. I immediately thought of a VERY COOL download I saw on The Creative Mama. It’s a download for keeping track of all of your friend’s favorites (color, candy, movie, etc.) It’s something I want to do this summer, so that I can really cherish my loved ones. Here’s the link for the download:

   http://thecreativemama.com/the-friendship-detail/

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 10:52 am | Reply
3. Sagan said:

   These are wonderful ideas. A couple years ago when I had a long distance relationship it was so much fun to write snail mail letters to each other! And thank goodness for Facebook for making it SO EASY to keep in touch with people.

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 11:23 am | Reply
4. Shannon said:

   Just stumbled upon your site and guess what? My name is Shannon too! woowooo! ;]

   Those are such great tips. It’s so easy to fall out of touch with people these days… other than Facebook creepin lol

   Can’t wait to keep reading more!

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 11:40 am | Reply
5. Steph Runs the City said:

   that’s so exciting you’re coming to nyc – not that it’s hard to find a good restaurant, but if you need any recommendations, let me know! i also have friends all over the country, e-mail makes it easy to keep in touch, but there’s nothing like getting some snail mail to brighten your day

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 11:43 am | Reply
6. Jenny said:

   Great post! I definitely have friends all over the place now that I’m getting towards the end of my college career. I’d say that this summer especially, we are taking advantage of facebook and twitter, more than ever, and it’s actually keeping us really connected!

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:06 pm | Reply
7. Marissa said:

   Gotta love social media!!

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:06 pm | Reply
8. Run Sarah said:

   These are great ideas – I find it hard to keep in touch with old friends but it is so important to me. Thanks for the tips!

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:13 pm | Reply
9. K said:

   Great list of tricks! I’m a big fan of text messages, facebook, and emails that way people can get back to me on their own time

   Posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:52 pm | Reply
10. Rachel said:

    Awesome tips! I’m two years out of college and I do my best but it is a bummer sometimes about how it takes an effort to keep in touch. I try to keep a lot of your points in mind – and small efforts make a difference!

    Posted on June 4, 2009 at 1:52 pm | Reply
11. Amber said:

    Facebook is a life saver for me! I don’t know how I kept in touch with my friends before it, it’s just such an easy/convenient way to talk with people!

    Posted on June 4, 2009 at 2:24 pm | Reply
12. Anais said:

    Because I’ve moved a lot, I’ve always had to have distance separate me and my good friends. Technology has been so wonderful to help us stay in touch, because I am AWFUL with snail mail. Like literally, I’ll write the letter, even put it in an envelope with a stamp…and never post it.

    Posted on June 4, 2009 at 9:06 pm | Reply
13. Emily L. said:

    I really appreciated this post because I have a difficult time staying in touch with old friends. When I head back home, I find I have nothing to say to my friends past catching up. We’ve grown into different people. I need to take time between visits to extend into their lives. Friends are so important. I’m embarrassed to admit that sometimes I need to be reminded how much.

    Posted on June 4, 2009 at 9:24 pm | Reply
14. Lara (Thinspired) said:

    I appreciate this post too! Since living in a foreign country I’ve had to utilize technology to the max to stay in touch with my friends back home. Then I’ve had to step away from the technology to go and make new ones here! Hehe. It’s a constant struggle to find the balance!

    Posted on June 5, 2009 at 6:50 am | Reply