A couple of days ago I called my friend A. I had heard that she was interested in joining my Book Club so I gave her a call, even though I hadn't seen her or talked to her in, oh, maybe a year or so. But A. is one of those friends that you pick up with wherever you left off. We were laughing and catching up and it was like we had just talked yesterday. We laughed about our houses being a mess and our kids being obnoxious and sassy. We remembered moments we had been together before and how great it was. We picked up right where we left off and it was like we were the best of friends again. I love that.
A. and I are in different seasons of life. She has four kids aged eight and under, while I have two teenagers and an almost-ten year old. She's still doing diapers and finger foods while I'm back to working part-time and thinking about high-school graduation. Things are different for us, and as a result it's not quite natural for us to hang out together on a regular basis.
And yet...we've vowed to talk once in a while. We've determined to call or get together for lunch every so often, because someday....when her kids are all in school and life is a little less, you know, Mom-ish....we will get together often. We will be close, amazing friends. Because it's there now, that friendship. It's just hiding behind all the other stuff of life.
I think it's cool how friendships morph over time. Especially those deep, lasting friendships. There are times when you talk every day and tell each other everything. There are weeks when you're both busy and exist only on a quick text checking up on each other. It's life. But if you trust the friendship...if you trust the friend...you know that someday there will be time for each other again. And it will just pick up right where it left off.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
On Wanderlust
I love that word--wanderlust--because it so perfectly describes how I feel about travel. It's not just that I love to travel. It's not just that I enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new things. It's that I lust for it. It feels like I need it like I need air. I value it as an important part of my life.
D. knows that I can only go a couple of months without going somewhere. He knows that as life gets crazy and we spend all our money on those pesky bills and food and gas and stuff, I can be content in our home for a few weeks before I start to get the itch to go somewhere else. Of course, I would love for that somewhere else to be London or the Caribbean or Seattle or Denver. But it doesn't have to be. It could be as simple as an overnight trip to the other side of the state. It could be a weekend camping. Or, in desperate times, it could just be a day trip somewhere different. A change of scenery, so to speak.
For the last couple of weeks, my Wanderlust has been particularly insistent. Many of those close to me have been traveling, while I've been here plugging along in my everyday life. My friend C. was on a cruise in the Caribbean, as were my parents. And my husband D. was on a work trip to Africa of all places, seeing new things and having new experiences. And I needed to get Away. However, our finances and time being what they are right now, there was no Away in sight. So, I asked D. if we could do something different over the weekend, and then I planned it.
Ann Arbor is not far from us...only an hour away...but neither of us have spent much if any time there. But it's a college town (obviously...U of M) and I knew we would find something fun and different to do. And part of the fun is the research. I found a Natural History Museum on campus and decided that was the thing. I put a shout-out on Facebook looking for fun places to eat, and my fellow foodies came through as always.
It was only a few hours, but we had a great time. We played:
That's A. pretending to get hit by the massive club-like tail of an ankylosaurus.
And here's D., J., and A. in a hollowed-out canoe. Fun!
We explored the museum and saw the planetarium, which was a surprisingly good show. Poor D. had two little boys next to him who wrestled the entire time, but he still learned where the phrase "dog days of summer" came from along with the rest of us.
And then, of course, we ate. We went to a fun little restaurant called Prickly Pear Southwest Cafe, which my friend M. recommended, and it was delicious! I had something outside the box for me: Chicken Poblano Rellenos.
It was unbelievable, and I was so happy with my choice!
We even got home from our outing fairly early...by 8:00, and had time for a family viewing of this week's episode of Survivor, but my Wanderlust is temporarily satisfied. Sometimes, all it takes is a day away doing something different than you normally do.
Oh, and eating good food. For me, travel is almost always about the food!!
D. knows that I can only go a couple of months without going somewhere. He knows that as life gets crazy and we spend all our money on those pesky bills and food and gas and stuff, I can be content in our home for a few weeks before I start to get the itch to go somewhere else. Of course, I would love for that somewhere else to be London or the Caribbean or Seattle or Denver. But it doesn't have to be. It could be as simple as an overnight trip to the other side of the state. It could be a weekend camping. Or, in desperate times, it could just be a day trip somewhere different. A change of scenery, so to speak.
For the last couple of weeks, my Wanderlust has been particularly insistent. Many of those close to me have been traveling, while I've been here plugging along in my everyday life. My friend C. was on a cruise in the Caribbean, as were my parents. And my husband D. was on a work trip to Africa of all places, seeing new things and having new experiences. And I needed to get Away. However, our finances and time being what they are right now, there was no Away in sight. So, I asked D. if we could do something different over the weekend, and then I planned it.
Ann Arbor is not far from us...only an hour away...but neither of us have spent much if any time there. But it's a college town (obviously...U of M) and I knew we would find something fun and different to do. And part of the fun is the research. I found a Natural History Museum on campus and decided that was the thing. I put a shout-out on Facebook looking for fun places to eat, and my fellow foodies came through as always.
It was only a few hours, but we had a great time. We played:
We explored the museum and saw the planetarium, which was a surprisingly good show. Poor D. had two little boys next to him who wrestled the entire time, but he still learned where the phrase "dog days of summer" came from along with the rest of us.
And then, of course, we ate. We went to a fun little restaurant called Prickly Pear Southwest Cafe, which my friend M. recommended, and it was delicious! I had something outside the box for me: Chicken Poblano Rellenos.
We even got home from our outing fairly early...by 8:00, and had time for a family viewing of this week's episode of Survivor, but my Wanderlust is temporarily satisfied. Sometimes, all it takes is a day away doing something different than you normally do.
Oh, and eating good food. For me, travel is almost always about the food!!
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