“Keeping In Touch” by Sonny Bell
It sometimes seems as if the friendships we had in high school, and before, are suddenly lost after graduation. Many people go away to college, join the armed services, go to another city for work, get married and move, etc. Very few stay put in their hometown, or even come back to it often. But, a few will also return to enjoy their retirement in the community they grew up in. It is here that old friendships are re-kindled (at least, with the people who are still there), along with making new friends with the newer generation(s) of people who now make up the community. True, all of us go through a lot of changes in our lives, and lifestyles. But, there are ways to re-connect with old friends and maintain those friendships that were once important to us. And, at some point, the loss of contact, and the lack of putting forth a lot of effort to re-connect, makes it seem as though people just put that part of their life behind them and move on…not looking back, and not giving much thought to knowing that in 5, 10, 25, or 50 years, they will be able to see their old friends and allow the friendships to pick up where they left off. I don’t know about others, but I find the occasional email, letter, card, or phone call, from an old friend to be very satisfying to the soul and look forward to the occasional gathering of the HS class, or classes, and with relatives, whom I don’t see often, due to the distance between us.
In today’s world, there is an easy solution to being able to communicate…..the internet. It allows mail to be sent in a matter of seconds, and it allows you to chat “live”, through various mediums. We can choose from chat rooms, where a whole group of people (say the UHS Class of ‘61), could be logged in at one time, at pre-determined dates and times, or, one-on-one instant messaging, which can also be done with the use of a web cam, to enhance the experience. In addition, you can chat “verbally & visually” with the use of programs like “Skype” and others, which uses your web cam and microphone to make FREE PC to PC calls.
Other media, such as Facebook, offer us a great opportunity to post what is going on in our lives, and allows others (”Friends”, whom we will designate and allow) access to view, and comment, on our postings. I find this a great way to re-connect with old friends and it is fun and easy to maintain. You can put up pictures and video of yourself, your family, your activities, or, whatever suits you. From serious, to frivolous, it doesn’t matter. And, it gets rather addicting, as your circle of “friends” grows. And, there are other social/business networking sites that are interesting to participate in also, like “myspace”, and “linked-in” and many more can be found, I’m sure.
Keep viewing the UHS Cornerstone website in which you can share memories of our days at Union High School AND, make sure you make plans to attend your class reunions. They are always fun, and it’s always great to see old friends and catch up on what’s been happening since we all went our separate ways.
There are many ways to go about finding people in today’s electronic age, if you are patient and persistent. The computer is a big aid in doing this, and there are many resources at your fingertips…some free, some not. But, there is always a way….if you want to make the effort.
I hope this encourages some, or all of you to reach out and try to find your old pals…even if it’s just to say “hi” and let them know that you were thinking about them.
Sonny Bell
Class of 1961