Many times when I write, it is usually because someone or something has pissed me off to no end. The clicking of the keyboard takes me back to a simpler time in college when besides paying tuition and my dorm room, the most I had to worry about was getting that paper done on time. I am quite a fast typer when given the time and I think my body loves the movement of my fingers and my brain loves the sound of the clicky clack my nails make when gliding over the old school naturals keyboard that I have. It is one of the original Microsoft typing consoles.
But I digress. Today I have a different means of typing. That is the comradeship of friends. Now friends can come and go. Good departures and not so good. But when you think about it, when you have a friend that is a really good friend (at that moment in time) it is a wonderful thing. Especially when they are old friends.
One of my friends I knew from almost the start of my first working career at a museum I have known for over ten years now. Wow! There was a time when we were closer than close. Heck, I was renting a room from her and her husband in their house. But now we are not so close. They do not have that house anymore (they had to move home). We live a good 30 or so minutes away. She has another child on the way. But the companionship we have had over the years I do not think will go away.
I got several calls from her this weekend when I was in Canada curling. I usually do not make any calls because it costs money for me to call the states in Canada. Not too much, but I am trying to keep costs low. I got really worried with the 4th call and a phone message. Luckily, nothing was wrong. The good news when I got to talk with her yesterday was that she a funny story about the museum because she is working there part time again. The fact she thought to call me and share was very heart warming.
My teaching partner retired this year. But she has stayed in touch with me. We do many fun outings like Dim Sum and thrift store shopping. That is what we did yesterday because I had a day off of work. It was so much fun and it was so good to laugh, even about really silly things. Sometimes you can forget about how to really laugh. Not sarcastic laugh, or work stress laughing, but just hearty feel good laughing with out cares in the world.
And lastly, my very good friends Alyssa and John. It is quite a funny story on how we met up. I used to be John’s Dad’s boss. David one day asked me about the funny rock thing I did on ice and said his son and daughter in law were starting. It was at my club! We hit off as friends right from the beginning. Alyssa and John had been gone over a week to Sweden.
I had forgotten how much Alyssa and I do together now. We curl, and go to aerobics, and shop on Saturdays together at the U District Farmer’s Market. It was so good to hear her message when I got back into the states on Sunday saying how they had made it home and wanting a curling nationals update. There was no need for her to call. But it was a nice thing to do.
I do not know how long these relationships will last, but I am glad I am having them. Not all things can last forever, but we can take time to step back and recognize when it is good (especially in the now and not in the past). Too often it is easy to negate what we have until it is over and you have to reflect in sadness on what is lost. I say sit back every now and again and recognize what is good…. Right Now. It may make your day!
