Good friend

How do you define "good friend" or "best friend"?

This evening I met up with a friend, who I consider one of my good friends, for dinner. It's a catch up session, cos we have not met up for 5 years. Actually I lost count, or I wasn't counting. It was only during tonight's dinner when he was trying to recall when was the last time we met that we realized that it was probably 5 years ago.

Well, time flies. 5 years just passed, pretty much in a flash. So did time tonight. We actually met up early, at 630, and we chatted non stop. Before we knew, it was already 8+, then 9+, and then WK called me to check where I am at 10+, and then finally we parted at close to 11pm.

I don't think we cover much topic, as there's just so much that had happened in 5 years. We just chatted on and on, from one topic to another. Haha, I don't think I know another more talkative guy than him!! haha...

We definitely talked about issues that touches my heart. I know I blogged a lot about my leaving GF, but I don't think I can fully articulate the complex and difficult feelings that I experienced. I have talked to many friends and colleagues from GF, but I would say that no one can fully understand my emotions. I was surprised, as I didn't expect it, but my this friend actually understood. I had been telling friends in the past few months that I have invested too much emotions in GF, and I feel so stupid and hurt (cos a job is just not worthy of such investment), and that my next job will just be "a job", nothing more. It was only tonight, that this friend pointed out that it doesn't work this way, cos we are not just "selling time" to the company but instead it's the attachment to the job and company that drives personal satisfaction and achievement that we are getting out of a job. And I told him that I totally agree, that these few months I have been fooling myself about being detached. For the past few weeks, I go to work and I feel so old. I feel so un-passionate, so unmotivated, so under achieving. I need time, to find my driving force. I need time to truly move on (emotionally) from GF.

We talked about career moves, about his various companies/jobs/challenges in the last few years, about what he wants to do after he retires. And we talked about our deteriorating physical abilities as we age (long sightedness, arthritis, etc). BTW, he's 45, 7 years my senior.

I told him that I have a few good friends who are about his age, as I enjoy talking to people a few years my senior, cos they always share their experiences with me. He told me that they (him and my other senior friends) are like torch bearers who light up my path as I move along.

It's very late right now, but I just want to write this post while my thoughts are still fresh. JJ, thanks for the advices. Most importantly, thanks for the friendship.