I created Living ROI as a passion, to share my experiences and support others who want to live more authentic, joyful and fulfilling lives.
Dear Friends,
One of the top regrets people have on their death bed is that they didn’t stay in touch with friends. Life gets busy and often friends get short shrift next to family and work.
Do you have friends that you can go years without seeing and yet when you’re together it feels like no time has passed? That’s the sign of an important friend.
I’m in San Diego for a conference and made a point to contact my high school friend, Suzie, well in advance so we could get together. I had dinner with her and her wife last night at their lovely home.
Suzie and I were nothing short of wild in our teen years. We marvel at the fact that we’re still alive. Just one example of our crazy and dangerous antics was a decision to drive to Mexico from L.A. one day. It was the summer after high school, and I had to work the next day.
Nonetheless, we drove the four hours to Ensenada, Mexico. Our main destination was the famous Hussong’s Cantina, one of the oldest bars in Mexico and reputedly the place where the Margarita was created in 1941.
Hussong’s was, and probably still is, a destination for expatriates to, essentially, get drunk. After Suzie and I had our unfair share of margaritas and shots of tequila, we got back in the car to drive home (I am not proud to admit).
It was about 2 a.m. when Suzie and I were abruptly woken up after the car veered off the highway, flew down a small cliff and landed us facing the wrong direction on the other side of the highway. We had fallen asleep. Luckily, we didn’t hurt anyone else, nor ourselves, despite driving off a cliff in the middle of the night.
The car was totaled, and we did not have insurance for driving in Mexico. I didn’t show up for work that morning and lost my job.
Now Suzie and I both have such stable lives. We’ve each been with our spouses for 25 plus years and live comfortable lives. She is a partner in a CPA firm, and I’ve owned my own business for nearly 20 years.
It was a joy to reconnect with Suzie last night. We both still have that spark that drove us to do crazy things in our youth, but it is now directed in more productive ways.
I am committed to staying in touch with, and finding quality time for, dear friends and family. And, at the same time, making new friends.
Staying in touch with good friends is also good for your health. The article, Science Says There’s a Surprising Benefit to Staying in Touch With Good Friends, identifies how friends can help keep your memory and cognitive functions sharp. Not to mention helping to fend off stress and loneliness.
Have you connected with your friends lately? It’s soul and brain medicine!
With gratitude for all the people in my life,
Barbara Fagan-Smith
CEO, ROI Communication
Chief Catalyst, Living ROI
