I want to talk to you about a topic that’s been on my mind lately. It is friends and friendships, especially among men. Most women don’t have any issue with friendship and creating circles of friends. Women often seem more comfortable sharing their feelings. They get very vulnerable very fast, talking about their lives and supporting one another. Men, on the other hand, often connect through activities. They play golf, they watch sport, go fishing, or talk business. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I think vulnerability has a lot to do with it. Many men grow up believing that they have to be strong and independent, somewhat in control if they can. They learn to hide their fears, even their sadness. They worry about being caught vulnerable, as if admitting that they’re struggling making them less of a man.

As I’m thinking about my own struggle, my own journey of maintaining and keeping friendship, I remembered a book that I read some time ago, a few years ago, and I dug it up. And it’s by Bronnie Ware. It’s called The Top Five Regrets of Dying. Bronnie worked in hospice facilities through her career. One of the top regrets was: ‘I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends’.

Think about it. At the end of life, people sometimes look back and wish they had made more time for the friendship. Work got busy, life got in the way, kids, other priorities, you know what I mean. You see, friendship takes effort. Sometime it begins with a simple phone call to stay in touch, and sometimes it means asking a friend how he’s doing, and listening and willing to give them a real answer.

So think about someone you have lost touch with, someone you miss. Reach out, for the other person to make the first move. My wife Stacy wrote a beautiful book called The Five Doors of Friendships. She described five doors through which we build meaningful connection. It’s value creation. It is play, inspiration, generosity, and creative alchemy. Each door offers a different way to connect, to share, to grow, and to bring something meaningful into each other’s life. And I highly recommend the book. It is a great book to understand how friendships are really structured, and understanding what type of relationship you have with each of your friends.

Music, it certainly is a friend of ours that is available at any hours, and you can look at music through each of those friendship doors. Music certainly adds value to you. It keeps you company when you’re happy, and comforts you when you are hurting. Music is also a form of play. You dance to it, you move to it. It’s also inspiring in so many ways. It’s also always giving, so it’s generous. It never asks you for anything back. And remember that all the musicians have friends, whether it’s a band, because they have a creative alchemy through music.

When we struggle to express ourselves, music kind of give a voice to our feelings. A song can bring back a memory, remind us of someone we love, or help us feel a little less alone. You all experience that. Friends might drift away, life changes, but music is always there, ready to be with you, be your companion, and your friend wherever you are.

So tonight, let’s celebrate friendships. Let’s celebrate all the people that have been our friends, including music, and let’s support us and walk beside us when we need them the most. I have a loaded lineup tonight with new stuff, old stuff, and your classics. Stay with me for the next couple of hours. This is East to West, and this is Eitan Battat.