Ya Gotta Have Friends

In the space of about 24 hours, I had an extended email exchange with a good friend in Ontario, spoke on the phone with a good friend in India, skyped with a good friend in Bulgaria, and talked with a good friend in Vancouver. This is in addition to hearing from various family members in both Canada and the US. And the thing that strikes me the most is that it seemed perfectly normal that my primary interactions spanned the globe.

Leading a nomadic life has had its advantages--we have been fortunate enough to see places and experience things that never would have been possible (or entered our minds) otherwise. But it also means that the people closest to us, the family of our heart, is always somewhere else. Bad enough that the real family is strewn out between 2 countries; now we have to count in continents. And realistically, as with other friends we expected to have always, some of these will slip away, finding that distance, even in this electronic age, is too great to bridge. It is always hurtful and bewildering, but with some people it truly is inevitable--unless you are part of their daily life, they can't seem to maintain the closeness.

Partly because of this nomadic life, and partly because I have been more lucky in my friendships than not, the family of my heart consists of people who can pick up where we left off, regardless of when that was. The husband says I drive him crazy because most of what I say seems to be the continuation of some conversation that's going on in my head (and it would help him tremendously were I to let him hear the start of each conversation instead of expecting him to intuit it). That's how my true friendships work as well--we are always in the middle of an endless conversation and there is much joy in being able to carry on with it.

I used to be wonderful about emailing and sending cards to family and friends, but used moving to India as an excuse to stop. I do email or call for significant events, but for the most part I have become one of the worst emailers ever. In India I was just too busy to get it all in writing, so I kept a journal for a while and then ended up with a blog instead for the last 2 years we were there. And now that we're back in North America and I have the time to email, there's nothing to say--it would bore even me, and I'm living it!  I love the interchange of ideas and seeing where some random comment takes things, but the recounting of most daily events, not so much.  Thus the choice to blog rather than email. 

I hope everyone is staying warm. Even we are cold (considering I live somewhere that's not supposed to get truly cold), and while I know it's nothing compared to what it used to be like in the midwest, I'm freezing. (Yes, I could turn the heat up, but frankly I'm too cheap...)  All those winter clothes I thought I could pack away here?  I'm wearing them, gratefully.  And I am NOT looking at the garden to see what havoc these repeated hard freezes are causing...