This one is kind of heavy.
A few days ago I got a call from a friend I had lost touch with, someone I hadn't spoken to in the better part of ten years. Let's call him J.
During that ensuing time, we would see each other in passing, in various social media places, but it was the sort of super casual, wave at one another from a distance sort of thing that has little to no value. These were the fun-size snickers bar of connection - barely any at all.
Which is why when J told me what he had going on, I was floored. He's sick. So sick that he's getting a very scary surgery so that he doesn't die. The surgery he's getting has a 85% mortality rate. If he pulls through it, the post-surgical complications and original co-morbidities of his disease will most likely leave him in a permanent care facility, a convalescent home, for the rest of his life.
The reason he was calling me was to say goodbye, and to tell me how much our friendship has meant to him over the years. He told me he was calling everyone who meant something to him, so he could do that.
Yeah, like I said, heavy. After we were done talking, I cried.
Yesterday at work I was thinking about him and realized that a mutual friend of ours, R. had also been out of touch with him for the same amount of time. I texted him, and told him what was up, and gave him J's phone number just in case he wanted it.
Which he did.
They talked too.
Later that evening, on my way home, R. and I spent a good hour catching up. We talked about our lives, talked about our mutual friend. We caught up on how we were doing, talked about mindfulness, and kindness. It was good.
I don't know what will happen to J. I'm worried for him, and about him. But I'm glad I could help him at least a bit to reconnect with others, and get some reconnection of my own in the process.