I'm sure calling Gary an "old" friend won't concern him, as we are all getting "old" now. The word "old" these days doesn't conjure up the same images as it did when we were 10. Besides, it's not how many years you have behind you...age is more of a state of mind.
So I've known Gary for about 47 years now. We still talk via email, with an occasional get-together every few years. When myself, Gary, and my friend Bob spent a week here at our house last July, we pledged to hook up more often in the future. Specifically, NOT just for our high school reunions. By the way, our 40th would be this year, if they even have a 40th reunion. The interest in high school reunions wains considerably after the 20th...not to mention the list of classmates who are still around!
And that brings me to the fact that Gary has recently gotten through something that may have excluded him from a future classmate reunion list. His cancer is in remission.
My old friend Gary is a psychologist. And with all that schooling and training in the science of human emotions and behavior, it still doesn't prepare one for those kinds of personal challenges. He conveyed to me many times how being a student of psychology doesn't automatically make you immune to all the issues he is exposed to on a daily basis...in other people. Quite the contrary in fact.
Me...I'm the dork behind the camera!
