Today Patty and I had a fun experience. Some friends who we have known for over 50 years but haven’t seen for a long time, stopped by on their way to Portland to visit with us for a little bit. It turned into a three-hour visit and we were just getting started.

Patty and I both commented on how uplifting that time of conversation was with them. We mostly talked about the good old days, people that we both new, our kids and grandkids, and current events. It was cool how we just started talking and moved from topic to topic with great unity and balance after not having had a conversation together for many years.

There are some people that after five minutes of talking, I am ready to say, “talk to you later.” When I think about conversations with people that I enjoy and I wouldn’t care if it never got over, compared to those that I get fidgety with after a few minutes, there are some clear differences.

A conclusion that we might come to is that the length of our relationship would be a factor, but there are many people that I have know for years that are as boring as dirt to talk to. I think that the biggest thing is that people who truly care about each other have a strong unity and affinity in conversation and that the enjoyment factor in their talking together is high.

They ask questions of the others that clearly indicate their interest in them as friends and their caring for them. I have a huge advantage in conversations with others if Patty is part of it with me because she sincerely and deeply cares for just about everybody, and she is very good at asking questions that encourage others to share about what is going on in their life that is significant and matters. It takes the pressure off of me because I can mostly just listen and enjoy.

Times like today end reluctantly and are followed by thoughts of, “I would like to that again soon.” I often wonder after meaningful times like today about my part in it and if I was being a Philippians 2:3-4 kind of person in our conversation, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” I will keep imitating Patty and maybe I will get there some day.