Cherish Your Old Friends

We pulled the 31 year old carpet out of our parlor to find underneath a genuine hardwood floor.  So hard, many of the nails sticking out could not be driven in but had to be pulled.   So hard, many nails were rusty, but the floor itself shows no sign of damage from that.  And I got to thinking about how trends change, and why a beautiful, sturdy hardwood floor would be covered up by carpet that can only wear “out” and not “in”.  Some things get better with age, like fine wine and a hardwood floor.  And I thought about how sometimes our relationships with our friends are like flooring. 

 We’re happy enough with our Friend, but she no longer thrills us, no longer makes us shiver with anticipation.  So we start looking for more exciting friends, more trendy friends, friends who are “with it”, who are “in with the in crowd”, friends who are flashy and “now”.  We put down a rug, we lay carpet.  But those kind of friends are not solid and sturdy and long-lasting.

So after time passes and we again start looking for exciting friends, we peel back the carpeted layers of our friendships and, lo, we find our old Friend there, like my hidden hardwood floor.  She’s a bit worse for the wear, maybe a bit ragged around the edges, she let herself go a little when we let her go.  But, by the gods, you can still count on her; she’s still as solid and sturdy and trustworthy as the day you met.  You just forgot what a gem she is.

Isn’t that a shame?  If we would only spend some time and energy polishing up our old friends, we’d remember  how well they age, how comforting they are to be around, how beautiful they are, like a fine hardwood floor…

Surprise Casserole!

 I said it so many times, somebody finally made it into a cartoon.    

Doncha just hate it when They steal your ideas?