The good ol' days

The wedding of a friend of mine a week ago brought together a bunch of friends I had not seen or talked to in a very long time, and it made me realize just how much things had changed in the past few years. We had all gone to UBC together, were involved in our SGI Buddhist club on campus, and in the process became what I considered a close group of people. But as we graduated, we naturally went our separate ways, many of us leaving Vancouver to pursue our careers as far away as Ottawa, Toronto, New York and London, UK.

It wasn't until we got together before, during and after the wedding that I realized just how good things were back then for me. Perhaps to the chagrin of colleagues and friends I know now, I must admit that until getting together with the UBC SGI Club gane, I didn't realize just how comfortable we had become with each other. We shared in our struggles, in our successes, and laughed our heads off more times than I can remember. We prayed together, went camping together in the summer, skiing in the winter, and other SGI activities during the semester. The best way I can describe it is, it was perhaps the most wholesome group of friends I have ever had (which is saying a lot given my tendency to be the "quiet observer"). Perhaps our friendship benefited from the fact that we going to university together, as all our lives were in flux, and we shared in that confusing and worrisome time (some of us like me are still worried and confused about certain things, but that's another conversation). But as things became more certain and defined in my life, so too did my friendships and relationships with people.

UBC was a formidable period in my life that really did change my perception of other people, and in many ways made me feel more comfortable to trust others: something I must admit is very challenging for me to do.

I suppose with friendships like that, like a good wine, maturity and age only makes it better, or at least makes us realize its value after years of letting it simmer through time. In the past few days, I have come to realize even more strongly that friendships like those may be rare, but is always worth nurturing as we meet new people and reconnect with old ones. Rather than dwell on the good ol' times of the past, I feel it's important to continue those connections into the present and in to my future as I continue to connect with people from all walks of life through my SGI, community, and sustainability activities. Ultimately, while I may value and cherish all the work I enjoy doing, part of it is sharing in that joy with everyone I meet and care about.