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STRINGS
. . . tie things together
Thursday Jan. 9, 2014
Have you ever heard: we drifted apart ?
Business acquaintances aren’t described that way. The term then is: we lost a customer
Disaffected politicians say: I didn’t leave my party, the party left me
Countries call it diplomacy or isolationism.
Kids in the sandbox cry because somebody took their toy and went home – but just moments later they are playing with a new toy with a different kid, as if nothing happened and the following day all is forgotten and forgiven.
Flash forward a few decades . . .
We’ve learned friends we played with are worth keeping – and keeping close, regardless of how many times they stomped their feet and went home, because we are connected. We share many years to connectedness, events and experiences strung together which make us what we are, who we are – just friends.
But much more . . .
Finding a friend, getting to know a friend, keeping a friend, losing a friend – these are progression steps, aren’t they?
Easily we could substitute other words. Something instead of friend, that would still render that same statement true:
- client
- lover
- spouse
- partner
- mechanic
- tailor
- drycleaner
- barber
In business, we spend inordinate efforts finding clients. But not always as much as we could or should in terms of keeping them which leads to inevitable losses.
When we are customers, rather than sellers, many things frame our reasons for loyalty. It might be service, attention to detail, reliability, quality, convenience, habit or we are either too lazy to switch to an alternative, or the pain/cost of changing suppliers outweighs our mild discomfort.
I’m not especially attached to my drycleaner, not because of anything – just the quality of the work. They are pricey, not well located compared to others I’ve tried. But the quality!
Haircuts. Clothing. Baker. Butcher. Heirloom tomatoes.
These are loyalty choices based on quality of service, trust and convenience.
Making a change is painful, undesirable – so we usually stay loyal, stay connected – regardless of convenience or cost.
Which brings me back to friends.
How we choose them, and why we keep them has never been a logic-focused decision for me. I stay friends with people I like and drift from people who have drifted from me. Strings of connection remain though, even with those who’ve drifted which makes it difficult to think of cutting those strings.
Other strings get stronger over time – becoming ropes, strong like cables and impossible to break.
Do you have friends you’ve drifted away from?
Maybe it’s time to tug on those strings, re-start and re-build connections, make them stronger.
Don’t leave it undone.
Don’t leave it too long.
Mark Kolke
199,936
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: -3C / 27F, another sloppy roads day ahead, Gusta wanted to go longer but a busy morning schedule prevents that, so I will do a very long one later . . .
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
I have a belief. We come into this world in Love and when we leave, it is Love that carries us over. and it is only Love that we can leave behind. The rest is just stuff. Treasure the Love of your friend now and always. Hugs, LG, Calgary, AB
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