Hey now! Don’t get sassy with me! I have had my nose to the virtual grindstone for months (even during Christmas holidays) — so I deserved a little break, and i finally took it!
I confess that I spent a huge chunk of yesterday sitting at our local La Madeleine’s gorgeous place, sitting at the biggest table ( we grabbed it right before the lunch rush hit) and right by the wonderful (and warm) old-world two-sided stone fireplace. We probably sat through 4 or 5 sittings of other lunching folks — that is precisely why we go there. La Madeleine is the one resturant (at least in the U.S. I think) where the staff DO NOT RUSH YOU! They don’t use all the current shenanigans which many establishments use to get the customers in/out as quickly as possible. La Madeleine KNOWS their customers are multi-culural and want the typical slow European/Near East style of dining with their family or friends. Their food is excellent, ditto on the service from the staff & magmt. Hence the place is almost always full with ladies sharing pleasure lunches, folks on business lunches, families with several children in tow, and of course those folks grabbing quick to-go-bags. I wish other dining establishments would take a page out of their playbook!
My old friend and I delighted in the fabulous food and French coffee with the heavenly aroma swirling all about us as the windows frosted up nearby. We took turns regaling each other with “other life” stories of that time when we were young and stupid and did not know each other. Both glad to express the relief and true thankfulness of knowing we (both) had survived horribly abusive relationships with a significant other; laughing now about the absurdities of it all. Grateful to currently have better lives built on inner strength and love.
This person is a true friend – the call in the middle of the night kind of friend – and we try to carve out regular time to spend together without anyone else around. We laugh, cry, wonder, pray and cuss. We are both avid readers and self-learners and self-teachers. We have spent the last 5 years investigating different spiritual pathways; sorting, catalogueing, considering the merits and information of first one, then another. I, having some Native American ancestry – firmly accept many concepts of universal spirituality which do not conform to the mainstream ideas of organized religion. She grew up going to school with and having many Native American friends (often Catholic) in New Mexico. So together we journey through life and universe as team buddies who have each other’s back. Kinda neat to know she doesn’t have to since I don’t “belong” to her nuclear family circle of DNA; but she would be there for me without question during a crisis, and I would do the same for her. We have both been there for each other at those hard times, we don’t have to wonder about that, we already know.
Any way; as we sat there luxuriating (sp?) in our little warm bubble over a third cup of that fabulous coffee, which I enjoyed with Brown sugar and a scrumptous Eclair with chocolate filling (ooh so decadent!) we mourned the loss of our occasional daytime get-togethers like this. We have both worked from home for the last year and a half – alas — she has gone back to work in a outside-the-home job which will make it harder to schedule these wonderful soul-filling events. Sniff-sniff! Today was her first day on the new job. I will get a report as soon as she hits the door by phone this evening; but i think this post is my hallmark card to let her know how much these “only for the two of us” energy-renewing lunch dates have meant to me. We will just find a new way to meet-up, with new times and locations most likely; but I just need to tell her how important these blow-outs have been to my psyche. That’s what friends are for!
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