A Voice From The Past
Yesterday I had a bunch of errands I wanted to run. The weather was fairly mild and I knew today was supposed to be bitterly cold. Life, however, had other plans so I only managed one errand. I’m not complaining, though, because I did get to take lunch to my convalescing friend and then meet another friend for dinner.
Wait. I AM complaining. Because as we all know, it’s part of my charm. I mean, I’m not complaining about sharing meals with friends. Those were the highlights of my Wednesday to be sure! What I’m complaining about is that I had to get out today in the bitter cold to run those errands.
It was 20 degrees with a wind chill of 3 as I was getting ready to leave this morning. Some of you live in Southern California and have no idea what 20 degrees with a wind chill of 3 feels like so let me try to explain it. Put on a bathing suit or, if your more modest, shorts and a tank top and stand in a meat locker. Then have someone direct a leaf blower at you from about 3 feet away. If the wind from the leaf blower is cold then yes, that’s kind of what it’s like.
I started the car and then ran back in the house to do a few things. I threw on a scarf and gloves and my jacket and pocketed my cell phone. As I was getting into my car I heard, “Hello? Jen? Hello??” That’s when I realized I had butt dialed (or maybe side pocket dialed would be more accurate) my friend, Lynne and it was coming through the car’s blue tooth. So we chatted for a few as I drove away and it was lovely! I haven’t heard her actual voice in years and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. (Our schedules didn’t work out to get together when Todd and I were in Arkansas last summer.) And get this – we talked politics AND religion and it was still lovely! We didn’t have to do too much family catching up because we do keep up with each other on Facebook.
Anyway, chatting with her for that 10 or 15 minutes made me a little nostalgic and I thought I’d share. Unfortunately, I haven’t scanned in most of my pictures. (You see, there was a time when pictures weren’t digital, but you took pictures with this thing called film. Then you had to take the film to a store and have it developed into pictures.) But here are a few at the bottom that are sure to be met with hilarity by some, humiliation by others.
Lynne and her family moved into a house up the street from us many, many moons ago. Her two youngest and my two stair-stepped and became fast friends. Lynne and I were the kind of moms who kicked our kids out of the house when A) it was really nice outside; and/or B) they were on our last nerve. Her kids were just part of the family as my kids were a part of hers. I got onto her kids and she got onto mine. I loved her kids and she loved mine. It was a thing of beauty. Now they’re all grown. The youngest of the lot (Katie) has one semester of college left. The others are real adults doing real adult things like grownups. But whether they like it or not, they will always be just like this in my heart.