Lonliness

One of the best things for me about going on vacation is seeing friends. It reminds me that I have friends, and that some people somewhere like me a lot, and would love to hang out with me regularly. One of the worst things about coming back is the absence of that mutual affection. I long to have someone live here that I can just call up and meet at the park, or spontaneously invite over for an impromptu dinner. My little coffee mugs make me long for Lisa with her Finnish sensibilities about tiny cups of coffee. My big yellow mug reminds me of Kris and her West Coast sensiblities about giant mugs of tea. I open my drawer and see my jioza maker and long for the old days as the "White Girl"who doesn't know what she's doing while making jioza with Nonie and Rita. The bag of fair trade coffee in my cupboard reminds me of thoughtful, reflective Kym who considers the implications of every purchase, every word so carefully. The apples littering my lawn remind me of many Christmases and Easters happily ended with Jill's famous apple pie (the secret was really just the wonderful old baking apple trees on my rental house property -- shh, don't tell anyone, they think I"m magic). I'm longing for those days of friends, parties, coffees, teas, movies, vino, and just the practicalities of living with and around others you love dearly.

Above is Kym, Jeff and Sam. We usually stay with them, but things are a bit crazy around their place these days, so we didn't. But we sorely missed our morning coffees and outings to the park and late night chats once the lads are asleep because of it.