Enjoying Friends

Violence is by no means an abstract problem. You can be confronted by it at any time. My best high school friend was shot and killed recently in his own home, by a friend of his. This was entirely unexpected; Lee Fox was as gentle as they come, and was inclined to counter potential arguments with gentle humor, or walk away from a fight if necessary. If he can be shot, so can any of your friends.

My chief regret, of course, is that I didn’t enjoy more time with him while he was alive. Good friends (and even married couples) drift apart not because they “grow away” from each other, but because they don’t take the time to sit and relax and chew the fat a little, early and often. They become numbed by the day-in, year-out routine of making a living and doing chores. It’s a trap.

So take the time, while you have the time, to enjoy your friends. In our violent society, Jack Smith’s advice is all the more important: Spend all your kisses.

WILLIAM J. EVANS

Irvine