TAVERN OF THE SEAS david biggs Keep the black dog at bay

IN A RECENT study on depression it was noted that people with long-standing childhood friendships were the most likely to be mentally stable and unlikely to suffer from depression.

When I read this, I just shrugged and said to myself, “Is anybody surprised?”

I have written about this before. I believe that if you have at least one good, supportive friend, you are extremely lucky.

It seems not many people are that lucky.

Almost all of us have many acquaintances and casual friends we meet from time to time for a drink or a chat, or bump into in the street and say “Hi”. Many of us have long lists of “friends”on Facebook, but they are not real friends at all.

I’ve been writing the Tavern column for more than 30 years now, and one of the things I’ve learnt is that there are an awful lot of very lonely people out there in our busy, crowded world.

Readers often phone or write to comment on subjects I’ve written about, and talk about their lives, and I get the feeling they’re really just needing somebody to talk to.

Today there’s the added factor that many people are afraid to go out because of the high crime rate. The city is full of lonely people behind locked doors. What a difference it would make if each of them had just one good friend they could share their fears and hopes with.

As a pensioner I may not earn very much in terms of money, but I consider myself extremely rich and lucky to have a circle of real friends.

That’s why I would never consider leaving South Africa and settling in another country, no matter how chaotic this wonderful land of ours becomes.

I could leave my house and car and scooter behind without too much regret, but to leave my friends would break my heart.

Oh, and my two cats, of course. With such wealth I don’t think there’s very much danger of my suffering from depression.

It’s a pity doctors can’t write out a prescription for treating depression: “One good friend to be taken once a day or when required, preferably with a glass of wine.”

The wonderful thing about old, tried-and-tested friendships is that they don’t have to be constantly renewed.

A friend in America or the Karoo or Canada or Australia can phone after a silence of six months and we’ll take up the conversation as easily as if we had been together all the time.

A toast to absent friends? No, wherever they may be, they are never absent.

Last Laugh

A building contractor allowed his not-too-bright young nephew to work for him during the school holidays.

One day he sent the lad down to the hardware shop with a list of things they needed.

“I need six 20mm by 200mm boards,” the young fellow said to the salesman.

“How long do you want them?” The salesman asked.

The lad looked a bit puzzled and said: “Forever. We’re building a house.”