BS3 05 – Reunions
I was recently contacted by an old friend, a really old friend, my best friend from when I was about 8-10 years old, a friend I thought had been lost forever.
Turns out that when our paths split back then, her life took a wild and crazy turn, as did mine when I come to think of it, but this is not that story. She had to move around a bit, took grief from some, gave her best and worked hard, and found solace in places never expected. Her life journey gave her 4 beautiful children of her own, plus a niece and nephew, and her foster children to raise and she does it all with a smile. Today her two grandbabies are the youngest of the lot, and her life is full of joy.
It was a really nice reunion sitting in the shaded backyard in the Florida heat, remembering people, sharing stories, and catching up on all the events in our lives. She remains much like she was when she was 10, though her long hair isn’t as straight as it was back then, and her voice maybe isn’t as strong, but otherwise I still see her the same. I know I’ve changed so much I’m probably hardly recognizable, but somehow time stood still about her, and she remains very much as she was back in the eighties. It pains me now that we didn’t get any pictures together, but then there’s always room for a ‘next time’ – you just never know!
In the past few years we’ve been afforded several opportunities to reunite with a good deal of friends, both old and new, and all very precious to us. Will and I never would’ve thought that our new lifestyle would be conducive to catching up with friends along the course of our journey, especially since we travel most of the year on no particular schedule, following no predetermined routes or set courses, and yet we’ve been so blessed.
We’ve had friends turn up in the craziest places, at odd moments in time, when the world has turned just right and the stars seem to align. It never fails to amaze me the way things happen, and in my mind it just must be meant to be, there can be no other explanation. It must be the magic of the liveaboard lifestyle, what else could it be?
Sadly, along the way we’ve even lost a soul or two. The reunions we’ve had and the memories we’ve shared become even more precious to us now knowing that time runs out, and we will always cherish each moment we spent together with loved ones departed. I guess that is what really makes these events so special, and even more endearing.
Time for us is such a precious thing, that we attempt to enjoy every minute because we know very well that time once spent, cannot return. William likes to say that the way we should look at it is that every day is Saturday. We have no Sunday nor other weekdays because we never have to dread any commitments, we rise and fall whenever we feel like doing so, and we are free and able to do whatever we want. A nice way to look at it, and it eases the pain of time passing I suppose.
Until next we meet again, fair winds!
