Coffee with a friend

Wow, two in a week. I received an email recently(see Tuesday's musing) and I had coffee with a friend this week. We have known each other for several years, but have not yet had the opportunity to just sit and chat 'til last night.

It's funny how similar life experiences create such a bond and so quickly. I had the privilege to just sit and listen and be listened to, it's been a long time. There was no diminishing of expression, no magnification of the good stuff, just real open conversation. Wow and Thanks!

Tuesday Musing (#47)

Happy Tuesday everyone

It was a dark and stormy night, sounds like the beginning of a children's story, but it's just the way the weather has been now that summer has arrived. Sometimes things arrive as they were expected, some things arrive unexpectedly and some come right out of the blue, which is an appropriate colour, since it is supposed to be summer and the sky is supposed to be blue.

I sent an e-mail yesterday to an old friend on the occasion of his birthday. We don't see each other nearly as often as we should and we are trying to remedy that. In fact, there were years of famine in our friendship, no one knows the reason for the famine, but it was there. And all of a sudden, he called and said that he heard a song that was from a time when we travelled together and felt he needed to reconnect. Since then we have remained in contact usually by e-mail, and I think that we have gathered with the entirety of both of our families on at least one occasion.

What came out of the blue was his response to my e-mail. I will spare you the details but generally he spoke of the depth of our friendship even though it has been rare in the last 20-25 years that we have been together physically. What an encouragement he provided to me in that short missal, or is it epistle?

I wonder why we don't invest in friends enough, or maybe it's me. I have few people that I would consider friends and I have not taken the time to visit upon them the blessings of appreciation that were visited upon me yesterday. I need to spend some time thinking and more than that doing some things with the people I consider friends. One in particular needs to apologised to as I had hoped to spend time with him a couple of weeks ago and my "schedule" got in the way.

How about you. Have many friends? If so, consider yourself blessed. I believe that most of us don't have many that we are completely open to. And if we have any, we have probably have not developed real intimacy (you know what I mean) where we have been transparent and open in those deep friendships. Once again, the words of Harry ring in my head, "we'll get together then "friend" you know we'll have a good time then. Don't have any friends? You are not alone, although this is probably closest to what and how you may feel. If you are reading this because you know me, write me and we can chat, if you don't know me and want someone to chat with send a comment and I will reach out to you. If you are female, my wife will do the reaching.

Thanks Reg, you made my day, and it was your birthday, now that's a friend!

Happy Tuesday everyone

Lakeside Park

With the Mat 2-4 weekend nearly upon us, I am drawn as always to that great Rush song, "Lakeside Park". Why, I spent many hours just:

"sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display"

I have so many memories of my high school years spending time in "Port" and hanging around and just enjoying the great park with friends. I arrived there for the first time early in the winter of 1969-1970 and remember walking in the park with my Dad seeing the old carnival building falling more and more into disrepair. The merry go round was falling apart and it wasn't repaired for several years after that, sometime before 1975 I think. In the spring my Dad and I would drive golf balls from one end to the other.

In high school, we spent innumerable hours there and at friends houses doing what teenagers do, no descriptions needed I am sure. We discovered the joy of Frisbee and spending time with friends and making new ones (usually girls from the Collegiate or Grantham and even D.M.). It was our place and our time to live and learn most of life's adventures. The port was great and Murphy's hadn't been rebuilt yet, at times it was pretty decrepit, but it was our place to be.

Just as Peart enjoyed the memories of his time at Lakeside Park, so did I and so many former members of Lakeport High School and others. It's not the same though and memories are best left that way, as memories. Nothing can bring back the life that it was, but the memories will last forever.

"though it's just a memory, some memories last forever"

Enjoy the May 2-4 weekend wherever you are. I know that at sometime during the weekend, I will sit and listen to "Lakeside Park" and reminisce of those times gone by. Maybe this is the weekend to start calling some old friends and begin a mini reunion?

Speak Friend and Enter

If you recognize those words, then you know that they are the words that Gandalf spoke at the entrance to Moria at the secret door lit only by moonlight and starlight.

I always say those words when I arrive at the home (which is the office) of my massage therapist. She found places on my body that I didn't know hurt, but they sure hurt now.

Somehow after a massage it feels like all the crap in my body is free floating and I crashed for about an hour. I would do it every week if I could. It's just one way to achieve my goal of getting to the better side of health.

On the other side of things, myself and my beloved were taken out to dinner by the finish carpenter and the bonnet babe tonight as a thank you for cooking their sons wedding rehearsal dinner. We went to the Keg and had the best meal ever, better than any meal we have ever had at the other steak house in town. Which shall remain nameless, but there are three restaurants and one of them is charcoal, oops.Thanks so much, it was an awesome meal, a great visit and we even saw some old friends there too, almost like an episode from cheers except no one knew our name.

 I guess when I see them, I always "speak friend and enter" into their lives, they have been great friends since our boys played hockey together.  They have been there for us for all these years and we likewise have been there for them. We have enjoyed many new years eve celebrations together, especially walking and looking for a black button in the middle of the night.