The Silverbloggers Chronicles #11. Friends

I don't remember having any friends during my childhood. At that time, circumstances did not make it easy for me to make friends. I was a child with frequent asthma attacks, and because of that, my mother hardly ever let me go outside. I spent time with my siblings and occasionally with my cousin.

During my school years, it wasn't easy for me to make friends either. I studied at a school far from where I lived, so I didn't have friends to do homework with or engage in the kinds of activities that strengthen our first friendships.

I made my first friends during my teenage years, most of whom were a little older than me. Those friends had a big impact on my life. I owe them for introducing me to rock music, which I have been passionate about all my life, and I also owe them my concern for social issues. With some of those friends, I began to realize the importance of getting involved in politics. Most of those friends have already left this world.

From that time, I remain friends with one friend who currently lives in Mexico. Almost every day we greet each other on WhatsApp and reminisce about those years of our adolescence when we went on memorable excursions to Cerro del Avila in Caracas.

I began cultivating most of my current friends after I turned thirty-five. We were part of a study group in a graduate program. There we met an extraordinary man who proposed the idea of forming a research center. We began meeting weekly on Friday nights. Each week the meeting was held at a different house. Sometimes in Maracay, Valencia, Los Teques, or Caracas, the different cities where each of us lived.

We kept up these meetings for more than twenty years, forming strong bonds of familiarity. In fact, we consider ourselves brothers.

Unfortunately, due to the country's economic crisis, we stopped meeting in person, but we always keep in touch via WhatsApp.

This group of friends has become a great source of support during these difficult times. We help each other in any way we can, from assistance with medicine to emotional support, above all else.

Almost all of us have children abroad, and this group helps us stay informed about how they are doing. We are so close that many of our children have gotten used to calling the different members of the group “uncle” or “aunt.”

The truth is that I am always grateful to life for having put all these friends, who are wonderful people, in my path.

Since joining HIVE, I have also been able to expand my circle of friends. There are several HIVE members in my city whom I meet with quite regularly. My wife and I have developed a great friendship with them; they visit us at home and look out for us. I also think it's wonderful that this virtual world has given my wife and me another group of friends.

At my age, it's very important to maintain friendships. In my community, I'm focusing more on that. Now I'm trying to break out of my isolation and connect more with my neighbors. I realized that these friendships are very important to me.

I am writing this post because of the initiative proposed by the @silverbloggers community. To participate, click on the following link.

Thanks for your time.

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