It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
One evening four couples reunited at a restaurant to revel in friendships, relish a temporary respite from grandkids, and celebrate birthdays. Because of busy calendars and homes geographically dispersed, time between get-togethers sometimes stretches to months or years. But it is a gift that when together we pick up where we left off, catching up on family, jobs, retirement, travels, and the typical trivia of everyday lives.
It is remarkable all four couples are original twosomes, married and together since the 1970s. No divorces, deaths, or remarriages. Yet…
The group’s members are considered old by some; especially our kids. We prefer other expressions rather than ‘old’: mature, venerable, super seniors, veterans of life, experienced, seasoned.
We have known each other since our children, now grown with kids of their own, scampered around in diapers. The kids believe our friends, as well as Mom and Dad, are ‘old’. Our children grew up and matured while their parents aged and ripened.
We can be ourselves in the silliest and stupidest ways as we reminisce. We laugh about young parent experiences. We recall happy times eating, drinking, dancing, and simply having fun together. We rejoice in weddings and births. And we remember the heartbreaking occasions shared over the years.
During dinner waiters delivered a birthday cake to a woman at the table next to us. The entire dining room joined in an enthusiastic rendition of “Happy Birthday,” amazed that the woman celebrating her 94th birthday was so lively, young-looking (relatively speaking), and totally ‘with it’.
Marveling at the 94-year-old next to us, we are cognizant of the fact that those celebrating with her are many years younger than the celebrant, and mainly family.
Our group plans on getting together again in the next couple of years. All four couples rarely meet at the same time in one place, but we see one couple over a holiday, another when visiting family out of town, and one more when a couple visits family close to our home. We treasure each visit, and we realize illness and age will deplete our numbers in the near future.
We discussed at length what life will be like in the decade approaching a century of living. We will most likely travel less, drink less, eat less, sleep fitfully, naps filling the gaps, and see doctors more often. We will be OLD. But thinking positively, we decided to return to the restaurant to celebrate birthdays years from now, when we are in our ‘90s. We will hopefully be alive and tottering along, eager to laugh and reminisce, but sadly realize all eight of us will not make it. Maybe in spirit, but not in an aging, cranky body.
The restaurant would not accept our reservation, but one of us might remember to call ahead. What are the chances the restaurant will still be in business?
And knowing health issues will hinder travel in our ‘90s, we might make it a Zoom gathering.
