SPONTANEOUS FRIDAY

A visit with Ellen

For those of you who know me I am a huge fan of friendship. I’m sure all of you can agree a good friend is an important ingredient in our lives. I rank it right up there with healthy eating and juicy cheeseburgers.

Let’s face it, the better the friends the better our lives. In most cases a good truck load of friends can lead to a long and healthy life or at least a ton of laughs.

 

A heavy dose of explosions

When I entered college in 1989 I had pretty much ruined a huge handful of great things that came my way. Present to me the perfect girl who could give me the perfect life and I would present to you a shiny hand grenade.

Yes, I had a habit of blowing things up. Come to think of it, it was more like a hobby.

When I entered college I was mentally and physically burned out. For a brief time I wondered if I belonged in a dark and dank cave. It’s easy to see why I choose to move so far away. I burned every bridge. Even the bad ones.

 

Enter Ellen

Her arrival was perfect. She was smart, funny and beautiful but most of all she taught me the value of friendship and reminded me how good of a thing it was and how bad I sucked at it.

For the entire year we laughed, we argued, we fell asleep on the couch. We ruined classic songs with our out of control singing voices and still found the time to play the Ouija board in lonesome staircases.

We experimented with alcoholic drinks which in most cases ended badly but most of all I grew up in those months and understood the responsibility it took of keeping important people in my life.

 

Times passes but she’s still here

Ellen now lives on the east coast. She is happily married and a mother of two. But that doesn’t stop our friendship from growing. We’ll always be there for one another. Yes, she taught me that too.

Once a year she comes out to my town to visit her family. During her stay we always find time to meet.

For a little while we’re kids again. We laugh and joke and share secrets like we did in the past. We complain about our spouses and kids and quickly tell one another how lucky we are.

In that moment it’s 1989/1990 all over again but this time the alcohol is replaced with ice cream and laughter.

An old friend is like a favorite song. They are full of memories that run deep. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Here’s to all the Ellen’s of the world. I hope you have one just like mine.  

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