Silver and Gold

How many of you were Girl Scouts?

I’m proud to say that I was a Girl Scout when I was younger. The experience gave me a wide variety of opportunities and memories that I’ll always treasure.

Being a music lover, one of my favorite parts of any scout gathering was sing-along time. And this classic was at the top of my list:

“Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
And the other gold.”

When I was in fourth grade I couldn’t imagine ever losing touch with the friends in my circle; so keeping the old friends didn’t seem so difficult. But I remember wondering – and being excited about - who else I would meet in the future.

Now after moving across the country to several different states, I’m sad to say I have lost touch with those early buddies; but I am grateful for the big role they played in shaping who I am.

Fortunately, I have been blessed to have many wonderful new people come into my life since then. Friends. Mentors. Collaborators. Neighbors. Clients. Colleagues. Family members.

Now I do have the opportunity to choose to stay in touch and I’m trying to make that more of a priority than ever. It’s too easy to lose touch when life kicks into high gear. But where and who would we be without each other?

I appreciate now more than ever the lyrics to that early Girl Scout song and am so grateful to have such wonderful silver and gold connections in my life. And I want them to know how much they mean to me.

What about you? Which old - and new - friends can you reach out to today? Be sure to let them know how much they matter.

Sue Cullen, M.A., founder of Sue Cullen & Associates in Austin (www.suecullen.com) inspires and empowers individuals and teams to reach their full potential through career, leadership and team development and life/work balance coaching. She also offers Every Step Matters (TM) workshops and retreats to help women find meaning, joy and value in every step of life.