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“Let’s Get Together Soon” Is the Adult Version of “We Should Start a Band”

Good intentions don’t build connection. Follow-through does.

Author

Clay Garrett
October 30th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

In partnership with:

Morning — Clay here.

It’s funny how some phrases just follow us through life. They change a few words, but the meaning stays the same. This week’s reflection is about one of those phrases—and what it says about the way we keep (or lose) connection as we get older.🔥

“Let’s Get Together Soon” Is the Adult Version of “We Should Start a Band.”

When you’re a teenager, “We should start a band” rolls off the tongue with total confidence.
You’re not making plans, you’re making noise.
No instruments, no schedule, no follow-through. Just enthusiasm.

I “started” a lot of bands in high school—and even a couple in college.
But on day one, the guitarist would quit, the drummer wouldn’t show, or once… the drummer went to jail (true story)!
I’d realize (again) that I couldn’t sing. Something always happened.
Because deep down, nobody really meant it.

Just a man, an ebony 1980 Les Paul Studio with gold hardware, and a dream. Still got the Les Paul… and the dream.

It wasn’t about forming a band.
It was about feeling connected in that moment—having something to say together.
The idea itself was the connection.

Then you grow up, and that same idea gets a new lyric: “We should get together soon.”
It’s the adult version of “We should start a band.”
It sounds like intent, but really, it’s just another placeholder for “This was nice. Let’s not admit it’ll be months before we talk again.”

We toss it out in passing:
At the grocery store.
After church.
In the bleachers at the kids’ game.
And we both smile and nod like we mean it.

But deep down, we know how this song goes.
Nobody follows up.
Nobody texts.
Nobody sets the date.

It’s not that we don’t care; it’s that life makes follow-through feel heavier than it should.
Jobs, kids, errands, exhaustion… it all piles up.
So we settle for the quick, easy version of friendship: saying we’ll get together instead of actually doing it.

But real connection needs a spark. Someone has to pick up the guitar.
Someone has to say, “How about next Thursday?”
Because relationships don’t tune themselves.

So maybe this is your sign to be that guy.
Reach out. Make the plan.
Turn “We should” into “We did.”

9 Ways to Connect

(Because “we should get together soon” doesn’t actually make it happen.)

  1. Be the one who texts first.
    Don’t overthink it—just send the message.

  2. Put it on the calendar.
    If it’s not scheduled, it’s not real.

  3. Invite someone into your normal.
    A walk, a workout, a grocery run—it doesn’t have to be an event.

  4. Call instead of text (just once in a while).
    Hearing a voice builds something no emoji can.

  5. Share a recommendation.
    A podcast, a book, a band—connection grows through shared curiosity.

  6. Bring your kids along.
    Friendship looks different in this stage. That’s okay.

  7. Send a photo from an old memory.
    Instant reconnection—no explanation needed.

  8. Show up for something that matters to them.
    A game, a fundraiser, a performance—presence > perfection.

  9. Follow up.
    After you meet, send a quick message: “Glad we did this.”
    That small line keeps the spark alive.

Quote of the Week

❝

One of the top five regrets of the dying is wishing they’d stayed in touch with friends.

Bronnie Ware

That one hits hard because it’s so ordinary.
Nobody regrets missing a networking event or skipping a meeting; they regret the calls they never made, the lunches they kept postponing, the people they quietly let drift away.

The truth is, friendship doesn’t disappear overnight. It fades one “we should get together soon” at a time.
So reach out. Send the text. Make the plan.
Don’t wait until “someday” becomes a regret.

Latest Podcast Appearance: Dad Up

I’m excited to share that I recently had the chance to sit down with Bryan Ward on the Dad Up Podcast—a show that’s been inspiring dads for a long time and one I’ve admired since I saw Bryan on TV years ago.

Bryan is as dedicated as they come—he actually recorded our episode just 12 hours after leaving the emergency room with food poisoning. That’s commitment.

Being on Dad Up has been a goal of mine from the very beginning, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the chance to talk about family, purpose, and what it really means to lead with intention as a husband and father.

Check it out when you get a chance; it’s an honest, down-to-earth conversation (mostly from Bryan… I’m just awkward).

Click the button below to listen.

A Quick Question

I’ve been talking with a friend about hosting a Campfire-style conversation for men—something small, honest, and unhurried.
Think of it like a monthly call where a few of us sit down (virtually), share stories, and talk about what’s working—and what’s not—when it comes to living with purpose, growth, and connection.

Would that be something you’d be interested in joining?


If so, just hit reply and let me know.

Until next time—
Keep the fires burning,
— Clay

P.S. I’d rather grow Campfire Gentleman through real connections than algorithms. If something here resonated with you, forward it to one friend who might enjoy it too. That simple act helps more than you know—and keeps me off the social media hamster wheel.

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