This Week's Challenge: Meet up with an Old Friend

"Hey man! Lookin' good. I almost wore that same pullover. It sure has been a long time."

"It sure has, man. It sure has."

There's nothing like seeing one of your best friends for the first time in a long time. Sure, in a world full of technology, it's easy to keep in touch through texting, social media and phone calls, but there's nothing like reuniting after a long time apart.

Life goes on. The sun goes up, and then it goes down, and days turn into weeks, while weeks turn into months. The older you get, the faster time seems to go, and before you know it, it's been a year since you've seen someone you used to see every day. It's funny how life cycles through like that.

Meeting up with old friends is priceless. There's so much to catch up on, and it always seems like there's so little time to do it in, whether it's over a meal, a beer or a day-long visit. Life happens. There are new achievements, new relationships and new stories to share, but there are always loads of old memories to reflect on- memories that only you and that other person or people know and can reminisce on. 

This week, I've had the chance to meet up with a few friends I haven't spent much time with in more than a year (and two friends I haven't seen in five years). I've landed in a situation where I'm finally in the same city as some of my best friends again, and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a blessing, to say the least. 

With as much as I've enjoyed meeting up with new friends recently, I want to encourage you to do the same thing. Sometime this week, I challenge you to meet up with an old friend, an old roommate or an old family member you haven't seen in a long time. If you have the time, make the effort and drive a couple hours to do it; it will be worth every minute, and if you have the money, buy the person's dinner or coffee; it'll be worth every cent. Reminisce on the old times and talk about the new. It'll be the highlights of your week.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: There's no friend like an old friend.

Silence: The Ultimate Third Wheel

For some people, listening to leaves fall isn't peaceful. It's scary and stressful because it's quiet. The silence is violent, especially within a crowd. As soon as silence hits, it's awkward, and it leaves one alone with thoughts, insecurities and curiosities of what others are thinking. Sometimes though, that's not the case. Sometimes, silence between people is pure gold.

It's 1 a.m., and I'm still awake. I'm sitting with a good friend and former college roommate in the basement of the house we're staying in. The lights are still on, but the television is off. There's conversation, but there's also silence. The conversation varies. Sometimes, faith comes up or memories of the past, and other times it's discussion about who has the ugliest looking feet. The silence though, is special. It's one of those silences that you don't feel any pressure to break because the silence is all that needs to be said; it's completely comfortable.

It takes a special kind of friendship/relationship to get those special kinds of silences. You may have noticed this, but any time you're in a circumstance in which you find yourself meeting someone new and having to make small-talk for a long period of time, silence is the enemy. If there's silence, it's awkward. However, that's not the case tonight. The silence is chill, calm and comfortable. 

Sometimes nothing needs to be said. You can just sit there in the company of someone you care about, and that in itself is enough, which is a strange concept. It's like each one of you knows what the other person is thinking, so the thoughts just take over, like telepathy. 

I'm not saying that I have the gift of telepathy or anything, but I think I definitely have the gift of a good friendship.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The best friendships are the one's in which silence is the third wheel.