With all the crazy amount of time we all spend at work, with our family and getting chores done, it is a wonder any of us ever have the time to spend time with friends. When I was younger I used to have all kinds of friends. We would all go down to Florida for the spring break and hang at the open houses like we were looking for South Florida Homes for Sale. Of course, I do not think anyone was fooled, but we sure had fun! But those carefree times are long gone and I think back to those madcap Florida days with longing sometimes.
When I was married, we would get together with other couples and do the cheap version of a holiday. We would go camping. Of course first you needed to Find Your Cheap Camping Equipment and a place to camp. We seemed to always find a hidden meadow or a local back forty that would not cost us anything to fish and camp, and drink too much beer, for the week. Someone always brought a guitar and it seems someone always just barely missed chopping off an extremity or two. But no big mishaps, just plenty of good times with good friends. It did not take much to give us a great week, so long as it did not rain and the bears stayed away.
These days I spend my time taking care of my home, which includes a fair amount of time weeding the garden and mowing the lawn. My friends will come over for a Bar B Q and we will discuss learning about planting grass seed or which variety of crab grass we think that is in the corner. I love my garden, and love the fact that all my flowers come from the gardens of my friends. My sister taught me about Friendship Gardens and I still treasure them.
But most of all, I treasure my friends. It does not matter if they are someone I have know since those crazy days of Florida house crashing, my Canadian years of cooking marshmallows over the campfire or my friends today with Bar B Q recipes and new plants to share. Somehow, friendships are what make us rich, beyond anything in our bank accounts.