Money comes and goes. Things change. Friendship endures.
Do you have things you try to do at the end of every year? Stuff that makes you feel good? Here's some of mine:
This picture is me at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank a couple of days ago, taken by my friend and film/tv editor Brandon. Almost every year at about this time we head to Bob's (I prefer the outside seating if it's nice out), have chocolate milkshakes, and just talk. I think we've been doing this for a solid 15 years now, except for when I've been in New York for the holidays. We even did it during Covid (we got takeout and did our get-together on Brandon's driveway).
The milkshakes are great, but that isn't the point.
Later I met up with my writer's group to watch a movie together. I met these folks at UCLA, back in the day. After school we formed a writer's group that meets every month or so. We used to make some time to watch a movie together every year, but that tradition went into hibernation during the pandemic. This year we brought it back, and I'm really glad we did.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago I got to meet up with some friends from my old Hollywood running group The Flying Squirrels, co-founded by the late great legendary casting director Mike Fenton. I was one of the babies of the group, and while we're not running together anymore we do meet to have lunch once in a while.
I maybe don't think about it as often as I should, but when I do I'm really grateful for these friendships.
My friends and I support each other, no matter what. We've been there for illness and death, for job loss, for divorce, and so on. We've also been there for each other to celebrate triumphs big and small.
Money comes and goes. Things change. Friendship endures. These year-end rituals remind me of this.
I hope you have a wonderful 2025.
Patrick Ortman looks through lenses and points a lot.