I had lunch with two guy friends today. One is sixteen years younger and the other, seven years older to me. Neither was interested in communicating with each other. I was the focal point of their chatter. The dynamics between the positive exuberance of youth and the jaded experience of middle-age provide useful insight into a man's development:
- The starry-eyed ambitions of a teenager carry a positive, risky, semi-realistic air of possibilities.
- The retrospective musings of an older man are about life lessons: mistakes, resolve and semi-caution.
Half-way through lunch, I realised the paradox of my friendships. On this side of the table, burgers accompanied talk of skateboards, David Guetta, Goa and high school. On the other side, a gourmet meal of lamb lasagne was consumed over discussions of personality development, accepting and loving our parents and the value of discipline to a self-selected purpose.
This is what I love doing. Gathering people over a meal, unraveling diverse experiences in an effort to understand life better.