Work, life and things in between – Day 99 – 2 dogs and a wedding!
That day was a special one. Going to sleep that night I mostly remembered 2 airedales and a wedding.
We drove to Quebec City to attend a friend’s wedding. All my best friends were there. Three of them are guys from my high school and their wives who joined us as life unfolded.
The weather was bad; snowing, blowing winds and occasional rain. It was slippery with limited visibility. It is how we know Quebec City to be in the winter. Yuk!
Forty some years of friendship I share with the groom! After sixteen years of a common law relationship and two grown kids, he decided to tie the knot. “I can’t believe we have come this far” is what crossed my mind as I watched them exchange rings. Is it that you can go further when you are not looking at the finish line? Taking it a day at a time will fool you into lasting longer?
Many things in my life are up in the air but I am grateful that family and friends are solid. They are my foundation.
How driven we are to have a mate! The source of unsurpassed joy and countless visits to the shrink. But when you say “ I do” it is all about sinking your eyes in the beloved’s ones and wanting to be with him for the rest of your life. It is that simple, but it is not so simple!
Champagne, hors d’oeuvres and happy chit chat…before we knew it, it was dark. The bride and groom were on their way and we were heading to our friend’s place for dinner.
This friend Gerry is my oldest friend, meaning the one I have known the longest. We were in grade nine when we first met. I am proud of this long lasting friendship. He married thirty some years ago and his wife has become a good friend as well.
Over the years of course we all lived our separate lives and went through various scenarios…not the least of which being a serious illness in their family. Of course, despite the fact that we all felt like we experienced some of their pain, it would be pretentious to say that we truly understood. They alone faced this head on and only they know the peaks and valleys of such crossroads. We, on the other hand, zoomed in occasionally on the week end to see how things were going.
Not the same!
All we know is how it has affected their lives. Besides the physical demands on the body, what I saw was a new connection between the two; a taller bridge over deeper waters. For us who stood by as witnesses to their lives, it was a nice sight and a warm place to be.
I suspect it is as with any transformation in life….suddenly when you feel you have lost your way, you don’t know anything else but back track to a place where you recognize the surroundings…and want to start from there…but true transformation knows no back steps. It is all forward. It is a new road you embark on because you have a new perspective. When you are lucky, you get to keep some of the pieces of your previous life such as a partner in this case.
As part of their new lives, there are now two dogs added to the household. A giant airedale and a miniature one. One slept on my lap and the other one ate away at my dinner napkin from under the table while us two-legged humans shared what was on top.
This felt like a family dinner on a cold winter night and that was exactly what it was. Warm and cosy. To day 100.