Rambling Ruminations

Ugh! I just had this huge long post typed out; and then it got deleted. That just well sucks.

So this week, or rather the last week and a half has been strange. I can blame some of it on Rich, not all though. You see, for those that know me, I HATE doing work. I will find a million and a half other things to do before actually doing what I am supposed to be doing. Last week, Rich asked me when I was home to get something from the filing cabinet. I did. Begrudingly. It seriously was a five minute job. A simple job. All I had to do was find that paper. It didn't take me five minutes-it took hours. You see, right next to the filing box, there was a box and containers filled with memories of mine; letters, diaries, photos, little things that I treasured in my childhood. Well look through that was a lot more fun then going through and looking for my birth certificate-so I opted for my photos.

And as I sat and dug, memories that I haven't thought of in years; the ones that were kept in the safe part of my brain and heart came back to me and made me smile. And then I found it. My photo album from Australia/New Zealand. Yes, I did go to Australia and New Zealand and it was the best experience of my life. Not only is the country gorgeous, but it was more then that. On the trip the people were the ones that made it memorable. I remember coming home and feeling so lost when high school started again in September. I remember one of my greatest wishes that everyone on the trip went to the same school-that didn't happen. And in retrospect, I am wondering if we would have been as close if we all went to the same school-the reason we were so close was because our experiences together, and growing together.

Anyway, I had some really good friends on the trip. I was lucky. But I had one best friend. We were so close. He knew everything about me, and he knew me better than anyone. He even was able to tell why I acted a certain way, even if I didn't know exactly why. He was my best friend. I remember people asking me if we were cousins on the trip, because we were so close, we acted like we were related. We weren't. I think what cemented our closeness was in fact the trip. When our group traveled, we were on the bus for hours; literally hours. Sometimes 4, 5 or 6 hours; and we frequently sat next to each other on the bus; and grew very close. A friendship like his is a rare find. Everyone should have a friendship like the one we had. I was so incredibly lucky.

After the trip ended; we went our seperate ways. It didn't matter; senior year in high school he was my best friend. I could tell him everything-and I did. And then college and real life happened. When I was in college, we were still close. But talking once a day turned into once a week. Once a week turned into once a month. And once a month turned into once every six months. Real life and relationships just got in the way; and despite how strong our friendship was, it wasn't able to completely survive that. Months and years would go by before I heard from him. I thought of him; and hoped his life had as much happiness and success that mine had. And when I thought of our friendship, I smiled at the memories-the smiles that I treasured. And when we did reconnect; we were able to talk as if nothing happened. As if no time passed. As if we were our former younger wearing selfs. Which to me, is remarkable.

But as months slipped into years I heard from him less and less. I never questioned it or wondered about it, but I knew that our friendship was that strong that it would find its way back. I had faith. And it did. About six-seven months before Rich and my wedding, we reconnected. The nice thing was, the best thing was, it was so nice, he was at our wedding. That meant so much to me; that my best friend from years back was there to share in the day. Unfortunately, after our wedding the closeness that we had before just faded. Ever now and then I saw him online; and knew by other sources what was going in his life. But it was years before our friendship found our way back.

I know I keep on saying it, but I am so incredibly lucky. Everyone should have a friendship like I do. A friendship that stands the test of time. One that makes you smile and not be sad. A friendship where you don't  need to say a word. One where you can reconnect instantly, even if it has been months or years. Sometimes, I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

On that note, some appropriate friendship quotes:

"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies."-Aristotle

"Promise me you won't forget me. Because if I thought you would, I would never leave.~Winnie the Pooh

"Magic is when two friends walk in opposite directions yet always remain side by side."~Anonymous

"Every now and then, we find a special friend, who never lets us down. Who understands it all, reaches out each time we fall. You're the best friend that I found. I know that you can't stay, but part of you will never go away; your heart will always stay. If you should lose your way, think back on yesterday. Remember me this way."~Casper/Jordan Hill

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had."~Anonymous

-Love,

Jor