Seeing a friend after a long time is renewed joy. All of the memories from the time you had spent together come rushing back, and there is the immediate, comfortable feeling of familiarity. There is a slight sense of nervousness as you wait to meet. You wonder irrational thoughts of not being able to or not being recognized. You wonder how they have changed, and then you see them. You can feel your face light up, and the joy deepens as you recognize the same reaction in the familiar face from your memories brought to life again. You don’t have to wonder at interactions as much, nor do you need to worry about impressing them. They are not only your friend but also a person with whom you have mutually chosen to re-associate with. There is a special kind of will power involved in getting back in touch with someone, with seeking them out in a new place, with reaching across the years in the hope of continued amicability. When you are actually able to reconnect, it feels at once comfortable, familiar, and new. You can catch up on the new events that are going on in your friends lives, learn more about them, and rejoice in their accomplishments. There is a chance to share how you have been, your current spot in life, and your ambitions for the future. Hearing the same from a friend can be reassuring and exciting. You have the chance to be helpful as a sounding board, advisor, or simply listener. The bonds of friendship grow exponentially quicker with the brief chance to interact. It feels as if there has been no time that has passed as you can joke about memories made together, yet you also relive your life in rapid speed as you catch each other up. The comfort comes from the sense of timelessness. Five years and yet you cannot even tell you are any older than when you met, this gives a brief glimpse into what it means to feel immortal. You pick up conversations started years ago and enjoy the additions that can be added on both sides. There is more novelty than in interacting with friends often seen. You find yourself searching for the best that has happened since you last saw that person, and in knowing them as a friend, you can feel vicariously an accomplice in the stories they tell you as well. Old jokes are renewed. Hours pass in joy and laughter, and there is little sense of the time that can be spent in the booth of a restaurant. In parting there is less worry about the future, for you know that they will be a friend in your life again, and in seeing them the next time, there will be more to add to the friendship as much time but no time has passed again. It is a true pleasure to have a person you know that you can confide in and search out when you are in their area. It is a huge mark of esteem to have someone seek you out when they pass through.