Sunday, May 01, 2016

Ruminations


I've got one in the Boston Herald today. It concerns life, death and softball.

It's not one of my funny ones. I consider some of the ways friendships develop and some of the ways they fail to do so. Mostly, I think it's a reflection on my own shortcomings.

Part of it is worded as though it will take place in the future, but that part actually happened on Thursday night. I did not run into any of the folks I thought I might, so my conjecture concerning those events remained basically unproven.

(Sorry if this sounds vague. I think the overall story I tell is truthful but, as I say, the fault is probably mostly mine and I hope I haven't given the impression that it is the fault of anyone else. At the least, I could change things in the future. I hope I do, at least as much as able without making anyone else uncomfortable.)

Well, that was a bunch of... something. If you read the piece, you may understand more.

Thanks for coming here, in any case!

Soon, with (I am hopeful) more better stuff.


9 comments:

Ami said...

So stuff like this can be instructive if you allow it to. You now have a chance to get to know the other guys. If you wanted.

But you're right. Men and woman do friendship differently.
That's not necessarily a bad thing.

joeh said...

Extra good!

messymimi said...

Well said, and i hope you find at least one surface friend, if i may use that term, to talk to a bit more deeply soon.

Suldog said...

Thank you very much for the kind words, folks.

It's.a.crazy.world said...

I know a little of what you say ~ just a week or so ago my ex-husbands father passed away (so at one time he was my father-in-law). When I read his obituary, I discovered a lot that I didn't know - like he had been married before he married my ex's mother, and had another daughter. He had been an eagle scout. There were other things about him that I did know, like his infinite patience, kindness, and his devotion to his church and family. But I wish I had taken more time to know him better.

Jackie said...

Wonderfully written, Jim....
As always.
Hugs,
J.

Daryl said...

well, while men tend to be idiots a great deal of the time, in this instance not so much

Craig said...

Awww, don't be too hard on yourself, Sully.

Our lives are full of all sorts of 'functional' relationships that only exist because we find ourselves in proximity to each other in the course of this or that activity.

Ideally, you are absolutely correct - we should engage the fundamental humanity of everyone we meet, but it's a lot to ask, when really, the whole point of the relationship is just so a softball game can be played. It isn't right, as you say, but for most of us, the umpires are kinda like part of the ground rules of the game.

It's one of the things that makes my current job less pleasant than the one I used to have, years ago. My old job was a much smaller company, and we would actually bump into each other outside of work, and I made some friends there that are like the ones I made in high school - I can run into 'em today, and it's like we never left. But the company I've spent the last 20 years with is so big that people come and go, and get transferred and promoted, or otherwise 'moved on', that relationships are purely work-related and functional. It really is (if I can say it this way) a less human place to work. . .

Jinksy said...

I've read as directed, and you've left me thinking I'm glad I was born a female! It's the sharing of our life stories that gives friendship an added dimension. :-)