ASK ALAN — Never Forget Your Friends – A New Year’s Resolution
These COVID-driven times & your business
Many strong, lasting friendships are cultivated through business relationships. They surface and marinate. Sometimes resulting from working on projects together or mitigating a crisis. Other times friendships manifest themselves from membership in civic/service organizations. They may be peers, employees, employers, or strategic partners, like vendors. Many business experts are “leaned in” to the need for making and keeping connections. They see this trait as valuable to get us through these “COVID-driven” times.
Here is a short story about friendship that may resonate a business theme for you to consider!
Never Forget Your Friends
A young man who had recently married was sitting on the patio with his father discussing the new changes that were now in his life.
As he talked about marriage responsibilities, job obligations and other adult concerns, the father thoughtfully sipped his glass of iced tea and cast a clear, sober look on his son.
“Never forget your friends,” he advised, “they will become more important as you get older.”
Regardless of how much you love your family and any children you might have — you will always need friends. Remember them and do activities with them whenever possible, and call them …”
“What strange advice!” thought the young man. “I just entered the married world; I am an adult and surely my wife and the family will be everything I need to make sense of my life.”
Yet he obeyed his father; he kept in touch with his friends and annually increased their number. Over the years, he became aware that his father knew what he was talking about. In as much as time and nature carry out their designs and mysteries on a person, friends were the bulwarks of his life.
When he turned 60, here is what he had learned:
* Time passes.
* Life goes on.
* Distance separates.
* Children grow up.
* Children cease to be children and become independent. (This usually breaks the hearts of the parents, but children are designed to separate from the parents.)
* Jobs come and go.
* Illusions, desires, attractions, sexual desires … weaken.
* People do not always do what they should.
* The heartbreaks.
* Parents die.
* Colleagues forget the favors.
The races are over. BUT … true friends are always there, no matter how long it has been or how many miles you are apart.
Friends will be there for you when you need them and will always intervene for you. Friends will wait for you with open arms and will be an untold blessing in your life.
When we started this adventure called LIFE, we did not know of the incredible joys or sorrows that were ahead. We did not know how much we would need each other.
Love your parents, take care of your children, but keep a group of good friends, dialogue with them but do not impose your criteria.
Your friends will help you make sense of your life. — Author unknown
This is why my 2021 New Year’s resolution is … to never forget my friends. 
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