Ok, so the title of this post is a little cryptic, I know. Let me explain.
I have a slight problem, in that I am very lazy when it comes to shaving.
One of my bros has the same problem. Both of us know that even though we look good all the time, we tend to look at least a little bit better with well-groomed facial hair.
Both of us were always very busy. He was studying for the MCATs, and I was studying for an actuary exam.
Time was short for both of us to hang out, and we didn’t get to spend as much time bro-ing out as we would have liked.
There is a scene in The Simpsons where Lisa tells Homer that the Chinese word for crisis is the same word they use for opportunity. Homer then exclaims, “Crisi-tunity!”
Well, it seemed that we had a crisi-tunity on our hands.
Instead of dragging our unshaven butts through months of studying without hanging out with each other, we crafted the brilliant “shave party” concept.
Every time one of us felt like it would have been a good time to shave, we would contact the other and check their facial-hair status. Of course, after about a week we were totally in sync with each other.
Then we would blast music from one of our rooms and spend ten minutes dominating our fraternity’s bathroom while shaving and catching up on the day’s events.
Not only did we get to keep our faces well-groomed (something his girlfriend certainly appreciated!), but we got to stay in touch with each other when it would have been easy to just let our relationship wither.
Right now you are probably wondering why I told you this story.
Well, let me tell you! The shave party concept is something that can be incredibly useful for maintaining friendships with people when it’s hard to stay in touch.
Unless you are living in a fraternity house (or in our case, “Lodge”), you may have to find a different way to do this.
But it can be as simple as coming up with a specific time each week or two to get dinner. Maybe you can go to the laundromat together. Need to buy a new suit? Bring someone with you.
Think about things that you have to do. Have other people come do them with you!
This is more of a mindset than anything else. So many people complain that they don’t have time to socialize, but that is just making excuses. Most of the events in our daily life are opportunities to socialize.
Take advantage of them.
Continue to Day 26: Rekindle Old Friendships.
Another good example I’ve heard is exercising together. For instance, take a walk with someone from your company or a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Not only do you get the benefits of socializing, but you can get in some low-impact exercise at the same time.
That’s actually a fantastic example. Thanks!