My How Time Flies

(Reprinted from my wordpress.com blog dated June 9, 2010.)

It has been well over a week since my last post. Many, many exciting things have happened in that week. It began with two friends meeting after over 40 years. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? For over 41 years I conversed with who would become a lifelong friend via “snail” mail, a few phone calls, and finally email. Many, many times we referenced meeting one day. Maybe we just thought that was what we were supposed to say. I’m not sure we ever really thought it would happen. We come from very different lands on opposite sides of the world, on opposite sides of the equator, in different hemispheres. Amazingly enough, the time came when, yes, we would meet and spend a wonderful week getting to know each other. What we found was that countries apart, worlds apart, people are the same. We have parents, husbands, children, and friends. We deal with the same situations that having those things brings. We also found that we had an uncommon amount of things in common. Our views were often the same on many topics.

We shared the same favorite things, favorite foods, favorite colors, favorite styles. When we met for the first time, we were both wearing the same color shirts. We wear similar styled glasses. The list continues. The more we talked about our daily lives, the more familiar our stories were. How we looked at our day-in, day-out activities. Why we made the choices we have, how we rationalize things…..so, so similar. The more we were made aware of our similarities, the more we realized that we had not conversed enough thoughout the years to have influenced each other’s thoughts. It is just how it is. A sisterhood that was formed many years ago, came full cirle.

The timing of it all was also very interesting. I shared with her that my favorite musical artist, James Taylor, would be coming to her hometown of Melbourne, Australia. She said she wished we could see him together instead. Then she said that she would be traveling to Canada to participate in an international Dragon Boating celebration/competition. If she visited with me here in Florida the week before, JT would be in my neck of the woods. Another “amazingly enough”……we did just that. We attended the Carole King-James Taylor Troubadour Tour concert last Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale. You’ve Got a Friend never had more meaning as it did that night.

In this high-tech world in which we now live, this story will never be repeated. You will not find two young children who will find each other via Brownies, begin writing….as in handwriting words and thoughts onto a piece of paper, placing a stamp on an envelope, and sending it off into the unknown with great anticipation of a letter coming back in return. Today it will be an instant response via email. We even conversed with her husband and children in real time, with live pictures, via Skype. It was amazing.

A bond that began 40-something years ago is now forever sealed. When we said our tearful goodbyes yesterday at the Fort Lauderdale airport, I told her, “I will see you again.” Her adventure continues with a trip to Toronto, then Quebec. I imagine she will be anxious to go back to her place below the equator very soon. Her family awaits. She will have so many stories to share.

Meanwhile, the next phase begins. The planning of a trip to her land. Maybe in a year or two, but it will now move up on our list of travel priorities. The obtaining of passports, the gearing up for the long flight. I know it will happen. So to Glenda…..until we meet again.

Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend? ~James Taylor