Valuable friendships
Charles Darwin said, “A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.”
With that quote, and a delightful catchup with friends over seafood, sunshine and sand between our toes, I was inspired to compile this week’s column.
It’s been said that the friendships we forge during high school and university are some of the strongest we will ever make in our lifetimes.
For me, it’s been different – the most powerful alliances I have forged have been in Mossel Bay, despite having lived in other parts of the country.
I like to think it is because I have a magnetic personality, but in the deepest recesses of my heart, I know it is because Mossel Bay people are magical.
I am godmother to my best primary school friend’s daughter. We friends have known each other since we were nine, bonding over five litres of vanilla ice-cream while she was recovering from meningitis.
After high school we lost touch, but through community and mutual friends, we reconnected after a twelve-year hiatus.
Another friend who was also at Park Primary with us all those years ago is one I see at least once a fortnight. I will admit, these two ladies were much better at letter writing than I was when we moved out of Mossel Bay for a short while.
It was at a 21st birthday party that I met the lady who is still my best friend today, 22 years later. How we became friends is a funny story, but I suspect full disclosure might not be as amusing to you as it is to us. Over the years, we’ve shared many experiences ranging from spelunking expeditions in the abandoned Bendigo mines outside Knysna, to wine tasting in the Boland, international rugby matches at Newlands, to the births of her nieces and nephews. We’ve shared tears too, over broken hearts and lives lost too soon.
The thing about living in a small place is that we don’t have the luxury of meeting many people; often those with whom we are friends introduce us to others who become friends too. Through a colleague at work, who was a friend before we started working at the same place, I met not one, but a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy writing as much as I do.
Many of my Mossel Bay friends have had to relocate up north for different reasons.
Technology and social media have undeniably made staying in touch easier, but nothing beats true human contact. I have two friends in particular who always choose to come back here for holidays, and they always make an effort to catch up with all their friends while they are in this neck of the woods.
I know that I can’t speak for every person reading this column about their Mossel Bay friendships, but I can say this: I am privileged to have friendships that have stood the test of time, and to have friends that are more than just that – they’re family.