One of the most depressing facts of life is that studies show that after age 25 , we start to lose friends at a rapid pace and there are many reasons for this. Around this time, people begin to take their careers seriously; they may get into a serious relationship and move in with someone, or they may already have children .
This leaves less time for you to hang out with your friends, and unlike during your school years, there are fewer situations in which to meet new people and form relationships. Yes, people may meet new people through work, but professional dynamics can make it hard to develop true friendships.
After the age of 25, if you don’t make a concerted effort to keep up with the friends you made earlier in life, it’s easy for them to drift away. That’s why a story out of Liverpool, England, is so heartwarming. A pair of men named George, George Price, 96, and George Foukes, 95, are celebrating their 90th year of friendship.
The story was recently covered in the Liverpool Echo.
The two boys met in 1934 while living on the same street in Wirral, a peninsula in northwest England. Back then, there wasn’t much to do at home, so the boys ran through the streets and played at the local park on the swings. In addition to the 2 Georges, there were 3 other boys in their friend group, but sadly they have passed away.
Price attributes the length of their friendship to the fact that they always worked to stay in touch. "As you grow up and become older, friends come and go, and there may be times when you don’t see each other as much. However, me and my friend George have always kept in touch, and he rings me on the phone most evenings,” Price told the Liverpool Echo.
So how did the two Georges stay friends for so long? “Knowing nice people is key,” he said. “You choose who your friends are, and they are an extension of you. Choosing friends who share similar values, morals and qualities to you is important.”
How to keep a lifelong friendship
When Price says the key to his lifelong friendship with Foukes is putting in the effort to stay in touch, he hits the nail on the head. Therapists say one of the most important things we can do is make time for our friends, no matter how hard it is with family and professional commitments.
“Whether that’s meeting for lunch, responding to texts in a timely fashion, or scheduling a Zoom happy hour, it’s important to set aside time to connect with one another,” Mac Stanley Cazeau, LMHC, a couples therapist in New York City, tells WebMD.
Cazeau adds that having a balanced relationship with plenty of give and take is also important because one-sided friendships won’t stand the test of time. “Be as good to your friends as you want them to be to you,” Cazeau says, adding that it’s always important to lend an impartial ear. “Being a safe space where your friend can share and vent without judgment can be vital to their mental health,” Cazeau says.
The 2 Georges friendship is an excellent example for all of us, especially if you’re at the age where it’s easy to attribute losing friends to the passing of time. The 2 Georges have shown that if you put effort into your relationships, they can last a lifetime.
Local News
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