The Kindness of the Social Coordinator

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy.  Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."
― Charles R. Swindoll
 

A former colleague and very good friend of mine has taken on the role of Social Coordinator for a group of us.  It surprises us, but then it shouldn't.  A couple of decades ago, we were newly minted attorneys, nearly all unmarried and without children, just trying to survive at high-powered, very demanding law firms.  Once survival for the day was seemingly assured, our attention turned to lunch and then happy hour -- ideally at a place that served free food with our drinks.  Probably the friendliest of the bunch, this guy would organize our lunches and after-work activities, which did not require much coordination beyond at what time we should meet in the lobby of the building where we all worked.  Even back then, he did take us to places we probably wouldn't have gone otherwise, including seedy pubs and off-beat places to play pool.

Fast forward a couple of decades:  Job and career changes, marriages, divorces and children.  Coordinating lunch among us is more complicated as it requires crossing county lines and extricating ourselves from crazy busy lives.  But this guy manages to get us together.  At our most recent lunch last week, four of us laughed and had a wonderful time -- even as we shared the parts of our lives that were not going as planned.  There was great fun in just seeing each other and laughing together.  We have the kindness of our Social Coordinator to thank for that.