friend time

Posted on October 4, 2020 by carla

This weekend we had a socially distanced dinner with some of our high school friends outside on the porch at Stonewall Golf Club and it was so lovely. This afternoon I sat on our deck with another one of my friends from high school and we did wine and cheese. We have a long patio table on the deck and my friend and I sat at opposite ends of the table and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon and caught up.

One of the cheeses was amazing. A new discovery out of New York State from Nettle Meadow Farm. Kunick cheese. And the wine if you are interested was an Alsatian Pinot Blanc from Trimbach. (But I digress.)

My point is we have become so seclusionist that we might talk to each other on the phone or message or text, but that whole human connection is missing thanks to COVID19. After this weekend , I kind of feel like a new woman.

I did not realize how truly important human, in-person connection is until you have it after months of not having it.

Now COVID19 is not going anywhere fast, so we have to keep being safe. But we definitely have to have small doses of seeing the people in our lives.

My family and I have been sticking to ourselves. We sort of see neighbors occasionally at a distance but it hasn’t been much else than that. And the more you stay home, the more afraid to go out you become.

I am completely leery of being out in public and when we are out it’s masks, wipes, hand sanitizer and praying that person in the grocery store not wearing the mask will actually get it and stay 6 feet away. But people are so inconsistent in public, or inconsiderate (take your pick) that it makes you want to stay home.

And the more you stay home, especially if you are immunocompromised, the more anxious you are being around even your friends. It’s a vicious cycle. And then there is the artificial existence of social media. My friend commented on that, along with all the comments you see go by on Facebook that makes you want to correct for grammar and spelling that totally made me giggle because it’s true.

The COVID19 world is hard. And not just in your own sphere. I had a nice lady message my blog’s Facebook page. She was from Chester, England. COVID19 is making her feel isolated. She thought we were Chester County as somewhere in the UK. She was looking to connect with people to feel less alone. That kind of resonates, doesn’t it?

Anyway I just didn’t realize the own hum of my existence of being lacking and shut off until this weekend. And then because I had a couple little doses of friend time, I feel almost rejuvenated. I feel up, and alert, and positive.

We need to stay connected to keep our sanity through this. It can’t just be a virtual life we live on social media.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

christmas eve

Posted on December 24, 2014 by carla

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English author. From ‘A Christmas Carol’

Christmas is a time for family and friends. Tonight we were with friends and had an awesome evening and tomorrow we will be surrounded by family.

Tonight I learned a friend of a friend’s spouse experienced a true Christmas miracle and they have two suitable bone marrow donors. I don’t even know these people and I am so happy for them. It truly makes you believe in the magic of Christmas.

I realized the other day that although we are miles away from where we grew up I have several of the people I grew up and went to high school with within minutes of me here in Chester County. How lucky am I to have these people I enjoyed so much as a kid close by as an adult ?

Then there are my friends no longer close by and many, many miles away, but still very much in my life and loved. I feel very blessed to have them in my life still.

To my friends old and new, thank you for being a part of my life. I appreciate you all.

Unfortunately, the holidays are not all magical for people. Some people have a very hard time this time of year and truthfully some people go between anger and depression or a combination of both. We should keep them in our prayers as they struggle to have a normal existence.

An example of that was made apparent to me today when someone sent me a screen shot of a photo of mine taken directly from my beautiful “o tannenbaum” post I wrote on December 10th. The photo was used to be nasty to someone else on Facebook. This person also unfortunately has an unhealthy obsession with me and my life (some would call them a stalker). I feel so sorry that they are so lost that they cannot live their own life without anger and negativity ruling it.

So as you gather for your Christmas celebrations, hold your loved ones close and say a little prayer for those who are struggling emotionally and psychologically. Pray that they find peace and balance. After all, life is such a beautiful gift and so many of us can see that so clearly at Christmas while others cannot.

Merry Christmas everyone !

life’s circles

Posted on August 19, 2014 by carla

I read this quote once:

“No matter the deviation, all things come full circle. You begin and end your journey in the same place, but with a different set of eyes.”

I don’t remember who said the above quote, I wrote it down on the corner of a notebook a couple of years ago.

When people say life comes full circle, it’s because it’s true. Not all the time, and not to everyone, but it happens.

The fabric of life is different for everyone, but there are things that connect us to one and other. Where we live, where we grew up, where we went to school created the formative life threads we all have. Then we add to the threads based on life experience as we get older.

Life has cycles, and people enter and leave our lives. But with the cycles, I find the circles. Coming back to what you are from. I have terrific friends, and a lot of them are friends I have had since I was a small child and since I was a teenager.

My mother’s mother always said you come back to what you are from. I don’t think she was referring to a physical place, I think she is referring to people in our lives.

I was talking to one of my friends from the way back time machine of high school today, Karen. She lives out of state now, so playing catch up today was a marathon call. She is one of these people whom I have always loved speaking with because she has always been very real. We have gone from being teenagers to middle-aged women and wow, where did all the years go? One minute we are like 18 and well…now we are 50. Yet I love talking to her now as much as I did then.

Time flies.

Don’t misunderstand me, I love meeting new people. But there is always something to be said about the comfortable long term friendships of life. As much as time flies, life has these circles and if you are lucky you still have these people in your life. And it’s comforting because these are the people who know you best.

Thanks for stopping by.