I haven’t answered friends’ emails in a couple of days. My friends are scattered all over the globe, and many of them sent me a note more or less saying the same “Finally, America is coming to its senses.” Their reactions and their messages to me are a form of celebration for the United States, for the country we all remember so well.
“They went through my things,” I could hear the disappointment and the frustration in my husband’s voice. His brother’s oldest son, back then in his late 20’s, had borrowed his leather jacket without asking. “It has a tear in it now,” he continued and the sadness in his voice made me cringe. I had bought the jacket for him, it had been a very special anniversary gift.
Oh, my dear internet! Thank you for making my life easier! Telephone books, street maps, encyclopedias, DVDs, and postcards have disappeared. Gone are the days when a TV station asked me to sit in front of the television at 8 p.m. sharp, now I am getting fed the news by headlines faster than I can digest them. Gone are the times when program makers teased me about having to wait a week for my favorite series to continue. Today I decide what, when and where I watch. With the help of my phone, or tablet I could even binge-watch sitting on our storage shed – just in case I ever feel like it.
About ten, fifteen years ago, at a BBQ with lots of food and some alcohol, a friend of mine asked me if I would date -or sleep with a black man. I didn’t hesitate, answered quickly -and without thinking- “No, I would not date a black man or sleep with a black man.”
“I guess that means you are a racist,” he said and I didn’t know what to respond. My brain didn’t comprehend -neither did I. I had stepped into a trap and now I was stuck.
Friends have meaning in my life. They are there to lift me up, they pull me down to earth when it’s needed. They laugh and cry with me, and often they push me to take a deeper look at myself and my behavior.
Last year around this time I was moping around. I missed my best friend, reminisced about her and the good times we had. I thought about other good friends I had lost and all the ones we had left behind when we moved out of state.
I wanted to reach out to the city and the people. I was ready for a girl’s night out, or just some female companionship. I wanted to meet people other than neighbors and people we work for -or with.
“Why aren’t you in school? I see you every day wandering around.”
“Oh, they don’t miss me,” she said. “I’m antisocial, they say. I don’t mix. It’s so strange. I’m very social indeed. It all depends on what you mean by social, doesn’t it?
The conversation with my friend didn’t go the way I was hoping for. It felt odd, and it made me realize that we have drifted apart during the last months.
My neighbor across the street is fighting the demon so many of us will have to fight in our lifetime. She has cancer, stage IV, and the outlook is not good, not good at all.
Week 48 already, surely Cee must be mistaken. This year is almost over, how did that happen?
Do you prefer eating foods with nuts or no nuts?
I don’t mind the nuts, we are friends since a long time. I like their company and eat with them anytime. 🙂