2003-12-19 - 8:55 a.m.
Glimpse of the future...
I was walking down the street on Capitol Hill and saw two couples with their kids. A straight and a same-gender one. I just had a glimpse of my future. I saw mr. activision and I walking down the street with our kids right next to Lady and Lord Lancaster walking down the street with theirs. It's a great feeling to know that you will be connected to people you to CHOOSE to be connected to for the rest of your life. Up until my post college years, there wasn't anyone who I could say that about. I was always the person who maintained friendships. When I found a new set of people, I would stop trying to stay connected with the old set and we'd drift apart. I spent a good part of my early twenties saying goodbye to people who were headed off to grad school. Lots of promises to write and call and visit but you know what happened? Nada. On both of our parts. I had a friend Dr. T who I went through a lot with my senior year of college and supported me a lot through my first post-college year. I went to Dr. T's graduation and her wedding. But we never really called each other to see how we were doing and given a couple of years where I didn't need her, we fell out of touch. In the figurative highway of my life littered with the friendships I let go and withered on the vine. High school. College. First couple of years out of college.
That's part of what makes Lady and Lord Lancaster so special. They are the one exception to that rule. There was always enough of an interest to keep the thread of our friendship going. We were only in the same place for a year (during our study abroad time), but we continued to stay in touch and be a part of each other's lives. As soon as it would feel like either one of us dropped off the face of the earth, somebody would call or write or whatever. During their first stay in DC, we cemented what is a lifelong friendship. Through their Peace Corps tour of duty we shared bursts of information and triva about each others' lives in care packages and long letters. Finally they settled into DC for the long haul and so have I. Along with that, I've come into my own with mr . Activision. I've made other lifelong friends, dharmaqueen, Rootbeer, Pauline to name a few.
As I've said before, I don't know how this happened. I think part of it is knowing who I am as a person and being comfortable with myself. Something happened on the way to being 30 where I learned to find and keep friends.
