Friendship loud, friendship silent

By now, if you've read even one post in this blog, you will have grasped the fact that I really love quotes! A close girlfriend posted a wonderful one on Facebook that reads:

"Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts. " ~ Margaret Lee Runbeck

I agree wholeheartedly with that comment, while at the same time giving a nod to the loud, passionate exchanges of conversation filled with laughter, intense discussion, moments of absurdity, all interspersed with those little jewels of quiet mentioned above. I spent an evening of the loud, laughter filled, intense discussion, moments of absurdity type tonight with girlfriends that was nurturing to my soul. One of these girls is someone I have recently reconnected with after more than ten years of losing touch, and the other is a very new acquaintance. The company of these two people, who are a curious juxtaposition of personalities, hit just the right note for me on many levels. It also made me remember the beauty of sitting and talking with no television, radio or computer in sight to distract us. Okay, we all had our cell phones turned on and there was covert Twittering occurring, but we still managed to not get too sucked into technology for the whole evening.

We enjoyed what I would call an old fashioned "kitchen conversation," sitting around the kitchen table, eating pizza and just....talking and sharing. About various and sundry topics, with this very new acquaintance delighting me with these very probing, sincere and deeply curious questions she would throw out that would take the current conversation and turn it on its ear. We had more tangents and changes in direction than I could count, but the result was interesting, entertaining and relaxed. It took me back to the days of my childhood when the end of summer days were welcomed in the front yard on lawn chairs gathered into an informal circle and people would really talk. And really listen. And really connect.

Very recently, perhaps in the past eighteen months, I have noticed a pattern occurring of old relationships being renewed, as well as old customs being revived. We seem to be turning slightly away from the typically highspeed, fast-paced, frenetic lifestyle and seeking out things and experiences from our past. Can these old customs fit neatly and comfortably into a new world so consumed with electronic communication? Clearly they can - I experienced it tonight and expect it to continue to occur. It is all a matter of making that conscious choice to interact on a much more personal level with people and relearn, perhaps, the art of that magical connection that allows both the lovely loud friendship moments and the profoundly silent friendship moments to occur. They are equally powerful, and, I believe, necessary to the balance of our souls.