I’ve spent the majority of my adult life living many, many miles away from the people who matter most to me – the ones who know me, the ones I have history with.
But on days like Thursday, I feel as though we are sitting together at a dining room table drinking coffee, or that we’re riding in the car together, or that we’re sitting on a back porch drinking wine. And I feel all the love, as if they are hugging me.
And I feel gratitude.
Because the reality is we’re not sitting together at a dining room table drinking coffee and we’re not riding together in the car and we’re not sitting on a back porch drinking wine.
We’re working, we’re picking up kids from school, we’re late to daycare, we’re at the vet’s office, we’re watching TV, we’re driving 860 miles away, we’re in our offices, living rooms, bathrooms.
We have to hang up, we call back. I have the maintenance guy here – he needs me. She has a boss – he needs her. Our conversations are interrupted up {“Hang on,” “I’m going to be driving, I’ll call you,” “Let me call you right back.”}
It might take us a whole day to catch up – and mutual effort to still get shit done and be a friend – but we did it. Friends, we did it.
I meandered through so many conversations Thursday (phone, text, email, Gchat, in person) and ended it stuffed with love.
“I love YOUUUUUUU.”
“If you have the flu, I will still love you. And. I will close you off in your end of the trailer and only open the door to deliver food and medicine.”
“I want to snuggle with you on the couch with the dogs and a mug of tea and sometimes talk, and sometimes not.”
“I’m starting to get wanderlust again.”
“We’ll pray for each other.”
“Go you!!!”
“I miss you beautiful.”
“You calling me a travel slut?”
“Lunch phone date today?”
“You must know that I automatically love the man you love.”
“Do you want an editor in Austin?”
“Your students will become engrossed. We need more teachers like you.”
“I’m curious to hear about how it works for you.”
Not every day is like Thursday, but gosh. Days like that fuel me.
I’ve got people.
I love you all.
Comments