Staying in Touch

Friends

With jobs, families, and time zones standing between you, maintaining long-distance friendships is challenging. A few stay-in-touch tactics can make a world ofdifference.

Share a Running Joke

Sometimes the best way to remain close with a group of friends is to share a laugh, as Stefanie Reinhorn of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and Lynn Hufnagel of Stratford, Canada, have discovered. Since the two were in college, Reinhorn and other friends have been “kidnapping” Hufnagel’s toy giraffe, Jerry, and photographing him all around the globe, from Venezuela to France, then returning him to her with photos of his exploits. As whimsical as they are, the pictures carry more meaning than ordinary vacation postcards and help keep this group of friends connected. Further proof of Jerry’s role in their relationship? “He most recently appeared at Lynn’s wedding―unbeknownst to Lynn,” says Reinhorn. “The day after the wedding, she received a photo album of shots of Jerry there―in a champagne glass, on the wedding cake, with guests."