Hello New Friend. Goodbye.

posted in: Traveling Posts, Wisdom | 1

Friends-1174

We love to meet new people. Just yesterday I had a most interesting hour-long chat with some guy in the laundry room all about buying and selling stocks – something that Jim and I have talked about learning how to do for quite some time. This guy (I didn’t even catch his name) had some very valuable information to pass along and I learned a lot while my jeans spun in the dryer.

But then, with my laundry done, it was time to say goodbye and get on with our lives. Even though I could have easily spent many more hours just chatting about anything and everything – not necessarily the stock market – with this guy. He was friendly and personable – the type of person I would have liked to have gotten a chance to know a little better. But alas, both of us were done with our chore, and we said our goodbyes and each went back to our respective campers, never to see each other again.

We have spent countless hours with new friends in campgrounds. A few days ago we left Sedona, Arizona, where we stayed for a whole month. During that month we met and became good friends with two couples – David and Rocky, and Roger and Carol. We had a blast hanging out with them! All six of us would have cocktail hour each night, where we would have appetizers and cocktails together, and we even spent a day together going to Jerome, Arizona to have lunch  and see an (awesome) band play some music at the old Spirit Lounge. The six of us got to be fast friends and really enjoyed each other’s company.

And then it was time to say goodbye. And that’s the hardest part of all!! I’m not sure if our paths will cross again, although I sure hope they do! We gave them our business card, and even have David’s phone number. All four of them live in Michigan, so we are hoping to be able to get together in May when we head up that way for business. I sure hope we get to!

This “temporary friends” is one of the most difficult things about this lifestyle. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, and women tend to want to make friends and stay friends – have “Besties” who they can talk to and hang out with and get manicures and shop together. And that just doesn’t happen with this lifestyle. I’m trying to learn to find joy in the small moments that I get with the people that I meet, but I always feel sad when it’s time to see them go. I am grateful for the small part of this journey that I got to spend with them. But I understand that our paths must now go in different directions.

Thanks for the laughs guys! Thank you for celebrating this life with us! If you’re reading this, know how much Jim and I both really enjoyed our time together. We wish you well on your journey. ‘Til we meet again…

~ “Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, though somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.”

  1. Linda

    It is something i have struggled with on our year and a half nomadic journey. I thought you addressed it very well and are coming to term with the new meaning of friendships in this ” lifestyle” i think you have a positive perspective, with a good insight. It is a journey of constant change.

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