For my last day in the East Coast, my roommate and I decided to make a day out of Mount Vernon. We traveled for a while to get there and got to walk around the home and estate of George Washington, including the tomb where he and Martha Washington have been laid to rest. It was beautiful, all around, especially the view of the river from the mansion.
We met up with a friend about halfway through the trip. We had only known this guy for a week or so, but we had great conversation. I could tell he was a little sad to hear that my roommate and I would be leaving tomorrow. This encounter made me wonder: what is the worth of getting to know someone and invest in a short-term friendship when you will part ways soon? Personally, I sometimes struggle with this question. Tonight, I received an answer: It's worth it in this moment. Why not work and act and interact with people as if you'll be staying for years? People will come and go throughout my life, but I should do what I can to make every interaction worthwhile. It is worth interacting and conversing with people in such a way that, when all is said and done, you and the other person have both become better people because you've met. There should be some sort of learning, edification, enlightening, or rejoicing together.
Today, I am grateful for a joyous adventure in Mount Vernon, and the very pleasant interactions I had with a couple of guys I met only recently.
That is very inspiring to me and I completely agree! And I believe that in the next life we can continue friendships that for whatever reason we can't continue in this life. I thought about that when I would leave my Guatemalan friends during my mission. But fortunately, with technology, we can keep a lot of friendships even in this life, yay! : )
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