...because i said i would

i had a conversation with one of my very dearest friends today.  and it wasn't just any old conversation, even though it was.  you see, i am blessed enough to have the type of friends who are more interested in talking about ideas.goals.life.philosophy.the future. than they are in talking negatively about small things or people.  so while this conversation was normal in regard to our friendship-as we have always been able to challenge each other's thinking and spend hours on the phone looking at one topic from every angle possible- it was different because we haven't had one of these phone conversations in a while.  and today i realized how much i missed that.  today i realized that my daily facebook stalking of my friend's life cannot replace the 141 minutes we had of critical thinking.analyzing.talking.listening. to each other's viewpoints of how to get to where we want to go.we talked about career paths and making our own.  we talked about being scared to try but eager to start.  we talked about sacrifice and what that means when it comes to love. we talked about creating our own stories and about people who have done the most amazing of things.  we talked about simplifying complicated things and about bringing happiness to other's lives.  we talked about how to make things that can last forever.  how to use up our one chance at being alive. as you might know, a few weeks ago i decided that i needed to stop 'connecting' with people via social media and start communicating with my friends in person. i decided that i needed to stop reading about their lives and start talking to them about it.  and because it is important to me, that is exactly what i have been doing. i've had more meaningful conversations in the last three weeks than i probably have in the last three months. i've gotten to hear about new projects. passed tests. upcoming weddings. new found happiness. personal goals. setbacks. change.  i've gotten to hear my friends' laughter and i don't think there are many things that can replace that.   you know what a good conversation can do?  it can make you get up and do something.  it can make you reevaluate your priorities. it can make you want to be better. it can remind you of where you want to go and how important it is to start. and not just to start, but to start now.  a good conversation can make your heart smile. and it can make you miss home. it can help you remember that there are more important ways to communicate.  and a conversation with an old friend can remind you that while so much can change, so many more things stay the same.  like friendships. like your love for wyoming. like the high expectations you set for each other.

when was the last time you set out to have a conversation like that?

  i challenge you to use your time differently.  to exit off the facebook screen and pick up your phone. to call an old friend. to talk about something that matters to you. to call someone up for coffee. to listen to the way someone smiles when they are talking.  to look closely at someone when they are laughing because that is such a wonderful moment to be a part of.  i challenge you to talk to somebody you don't know. or to talk to someone you do know but in a different way.   i challenge you to ask deep questions. talk about ideas.talk about where you have been and where you are going.  but most importantly, just talk.