Auld acquaintance 2
Now that all the Christmas socialising has died down, nice to have a few extra people to see. Out to lunch today with someone who used to go to the same church in Edinburgh, plus her husband, and a few other joint acquaintances.
How do you pick up when you’re not seen each other for several years? Or, with another friend we saw last Saturday night, several months, when she’s been on the other side of the world? Thankfully, fairly easily, it turns out. Put some people together around some food, and it usually all works out.
We’ve lamented the fact that we’ve had some good friends move away over the last few years - with a couple more to go from our church small group later this month. The one consolation, it seems, is that we do seem to be able to pick up again with people, whether the gap is short or long, the distance near or many countries away.
Maybe it’s part of the Edinburgh Factor. (Nothing to do with house sales, although I’m sure Edinburgh’s attractiveness as a city will continue to keep people doing well in that sense.) Over the years, I’ve termed such friends who move away as Edinburgh Ex-Patriates - they don’t talk about if, but WHEN they return.
And even if it’s just a weekend, it’s great to have them about. Maybe Edinburgh is a more transitory city than some - though equally, should you stay, it seems to get smaller by the year, as your networks of friends of friends grow greater. And if you’re going to ‘lose’ people - which is probably inevitable as time goes on - you might as well be somewhere they want to come back to.
Add comment January 12th, 2008