I lost touch with my friend Joanna when she moved to western Massachusetts several years ago. This year, by chance, she and her husband are renting a condo in the same building that we are on Longboat Key in Florida.

Once we found each other, Joanna and I caught up during a long walk along the beach. We reminisced about Brown Junior High School’s wacky 1983 production of “Anything Goes”, costarring her daughter Jennifer and our son Seth. We laughed about our Sunday school carpool. The only people who hated getting up early for it more than we did were our children. We talked at length about our current lives and some of the challenges we face. There is nothing like old friends chatting to make a long walk short.

Later that day, Peter and I had a glass of wine with a new friend that we had met at our condo complex’s Trivia night. She lives in the same town as our son Jeremy and his family. We barely scratched the surface of our histories, but we know that this is a new friendship that we will value.

Having an active social life is good for us as we age. Old friends, new friends. All friends.