Friends really matter

So — what should I write today?

I'll write about how good friends are.

Lately I've been feeling all over again that friends really matter.

I had a chance to drink in Osaka with a friend who used to be a junior colleague at work, and he introduced me to his friends, and we got close.
He introduced me to something like a community of fellow business owners, and for about a year after that we grew close as friends, separate from work.
Whenever I go back to Osaka, I always go drink and hang out with them.

There are a lot of good people in that community, and afterward I got to meet all kinds of others too.

Even after I go back to Tokyo, they send fun messages — "When are you coming back to Osaka next?" "Next time you're back, let's do this."

A junior I met in that community became a friend simply as a friend, and when I'm lounging around in Osaka they message me, "What are you doing? Let's go out for drinks tonight," and we hang out.

Separately, when I went back to Osaka the other day, I drank with classmates from high school.
For a long time I'd intentionally thinned out the relationships around me and shut down contact info, so I hadn't seen them since graduation either.
(My relationships were thin with university friends too. One memory that sticks: a friend casually said, "Our friends are all quirky types who are hard to hang out with in a normal way," and when I went "Yeah, yeah, true," he started, "Starting with you, then ~~." I was a little surprised, but I accepted it. No excuse possible, however you look at it.)

However I am, when I invite them they come — and talking with them, I feel there's no happier time.
They're succeeding in their own fields after graduation, and alone I felt moved — "Ah, ten years already — I'm so glad everyone's doing well."
I think other people are the same: when you meet high school friends, it turns into "What's that guy doing now?" talk about other classmates.
People have gone down all kinds of paths — the ones who were sharp then are still sharp now — and sadly, some classmates have already passed away because of circumstances or illness.
It's obvious, but being alive and well isn't something you can take for granted — you feel that more when you hear a classmate has died.

Looking back — different topic — I think I was an unpleasant person as a student. Even so, everyone treated me with real kindness. If it were me, I wouldn't want to see someone like me ever again.

Thank you, everyone — that's the feeling of gratitude.