In our very busy lives, it is easy to get caught up in life and forget about our friends. Well, maybe “forget about our friends” is not the best way to say it. I meant to say, we forget to stay in touch with friends. A day of no contact can turn into a week, a week into a month, and a month into a year. Before you know it, you are saying things like, “I don’t remember the last time I spoke to her.”
Like many things in life, things aren’t always our fault, but we can make them our responsibility, if we truly care. With that in mind, here are three ways to keep in touch…
1. Send a Text
A simple text message to someone, wishing them a good day or asking how they have been, can make all the difference in the world. You can tell them you were just thinking about them and hoping all is going well. This text message can spark a short conversation that can result in a short catch up of how things are going. A message sent via Facebook works just as well.
But who do you send the message to? Here is a suggestion, get out a piece of paper and write a name on your list for each day of the month. Make it a list of friends and family that you want to at least touch base with once a month. Each day of the month, just refer to your list and send that person a text message. I personally have a script that sends me a text message of reminders for the day. Part of that reminder is a random friend to keep in touch with.
*** One exception…if it is someone’s birthday, you HAVE to reach out. You can reach out to the birthday boy or girl on their day in addition to the friend on the list.
2. Schedule a Lunch
Plan to have lunch with a friend at least every other week. Take an hour or two out of your schedule, a couple times a month, and go out for some one on one time with a friend. As I mentioned in the Let’s Get Together Soon post…if you want it to happen, you have to plan the when and where. You may think you can remember to plan a lunch with a friend regularly, but if you really want to make it happen, put it on your schedule.
I personally block off two hours for lunch every other Friday with a friend. I pick a friend I haven’t seen in a while, within a reasonable driving distance, and meet them on that day. If they can’t make it on Friday, but can do Thursday instead, that is fine. I just move the lunch to Thursday. But for that week, I do my best to make sure I have lunch with a friend.
3. Write Them A Letter
This is a little more old school, but writing a letter to a friend can be very powerful. How special would you feel if you received a handwritten letter from a friend? I know I would feel pretty special about it. It can be even more special if it is to a friend whom you haven’t spoken to in a while. This type of activity could turn into a regular thing. All of a sudden, you have a pen pal or two that you write to every other month.
Something special happens when you put pen to paper too. You can really express your feelings and best wishes in a thoughtful letter. Not to mention that hardly anyone writes letters any more, so to send a letter would make you stand out and make the other person feel very special.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t take much to keep in touch with friends, but it does take planning. It is easy to keep in touch with people you see every day, but the people whose lives have taken them in a different direction is a whole different story.
Just because life pulls you in different directions, it doesn’t mean you have to lose touch. Use any of these methods to stay in touch with a friend and you will keep that person close. They will feel special and you will keep the friendship going. When you see your old friends, it will be like you never stopped talking. And that will be because you took the time and used one of these three ways to keep in touch.
So, as they said in those old AT&T commercials, “Reach out and touch someone,” today!!!