Then and Now

I am happy to be entering this new stage in my life. Starting this blog is just one more totally new adventure. Sharing my thoughts and experiences in narrative form is not something I have ever done before, but I plan to do a few things off the "never done before" list before I kick it. Last weekend I travelled to Las Cruces, New Mexico to visit my childhood friend. Susan and I have known each other since we were eight years old. Let's see that is....pause for some 8 year old math.....43 years! Two other friends from elementary school went with me, Christy and Cindy. We see each other now and again, but for many years we did not. Susan and I have always kept in touch, visiting over the years when we could fit it in. Unfortunately, I had lost track of my other friends except for the occasional word from family or accidental meeting somewhere. However, about two years ago it became very important to me to renew old friendships. I am so glad that I did. I love these women with an acceptance that I have felt for few others in my life since my youth. We laughed at the same jokes all weekend, listened with warmth to each other's stories, and felt pride in each other's children. I was surprised that we were all still so similar. I was surprised that we were all so smart. I was surprised that we were all so happy. I was surprised that we weren't closer when we were young. I was sorry we had let our friendships lapse. I was sorry that we would probably just go home and meet again in another year or so and continue our relationships just the way they are. I was sorry we weren't 15 and carefree again, available for sleepovers every week, able to eat whatever we wanted, free to shop with someone else's money and not have to spend countless minutes trying fruitlessly to fix our hair! Oh, wait, that was just me!

What did I know at 15? Friends are truly the flowers in your garden. This is not just a cliche. You should spend time tending to them daily and nurturing their growth. Without them, the scenery around you is just not as attractive. Beauty is missing. Some are annuals, some are perenials. Some are century plants that bloom only every now and again. I forgot this for a while, I thought I could live without and my life could be like a desert oasis and some snakes, lizards and a few prickly cactus blooms would be enough for me. This can be beautiful but not fun to touch. What have I learned at 51? There are lots of varieties of flowers, real flowers, that like to be touched, picked, looked at lovingly, watered, admired and nurtured. I hope I don't forget this again.