Does anyone still practice the art of hanging out? Hanging out is when you go somewhere for no purpose other than you had no plans so you thought you could kill some time with someone you like wherever you are going. The places we hang out are usually friend’s houses or places where we know people are going to be. Going to a friend’s house after being invited doesn’t count because the invite gives you a purpose to go and if you have a purpose for being there then you are not hanging out.

I know from my teen years to my mid-twenties I did a lot of hanging out. I would hangout with people that I enjoyed being with. Sometimes hanging out didn’t even require talking. It would be like two or more people being together for no other reason than to share each other’s company.

I didn’t hang out for years. Anytime I went somewhere, I had a purpose for going otherwise I would just stay home. Anyone that visited me would have a reason to come over or else I would invite them. There was never anytime to waste just hanging out somewhere.

One day I met a nineteen year old girl where I worked. I’m the kind of guy who looks for a certain chemistry with people and this girl and I clicked. I was twenty two years older than her, but it didn’t seem to matter to either of us. Even though, at that time, I had dated girls near her age, our relationship was not romantic. We just liked being around each other. We hung out together. I would hangout with her and sometimes her and her friends with absolutely no purpose other than sharing each other’s company. I had rediscovered the art of hanging out. It was a kind of “stop and smell the roses” feeling.

It’s hard to find the time to just hangout with someone somewhere. We are all busy people with jobs, families, and schedules, but I think it is well worth the effort to just go hang out with some people that make you feel good. It’s comforting. It’s relaxing. And even though to hang out with someone entails no purpose in mind when hanging out with them, it sure seems to give your life a little purpose in the grand scheme of things.

When was the last time you hung out?