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Saturday, March 6, 2010

I Am a Part of All That I Have Met

Spring and rebirth are in the air. The sun is warmer and starting next week the days will seem longer as we "spring forward" to daylight savings time. The Canadian geese are out and about in fine form -- including the one that stopped traffic on the ramp to Lake Shore Drive by just meandering across and hopping up on the guard rail. And baseball is back -- I caught part of the first spring training Cub game on the radio and today they are televised! It is a time to clean out the cobwebs and get a fresh start on life. But as we desire that fresh start and want to start anew, there are threads interwoven in our very fabric that will always be there from the past, for everyone we've met, everyone we've encountered in our lives has left a mark on us, left a little piece that we carry with us always.

I have a friend -- and, yes, I still say that in the present tense -- that I haven't talked to for nearly five years. She was an internet friend first, one that was in the chat room with us on Sept. 11th, one that I exchanged cards and packages with, one that I'd stay up late chatting with. She ceased being just an internet friend when she came to visit in 2004 and then again in 2005. We laughed and talked and hugged, not just virtually, but in real life. She went back to England and vanished one day. I understood her reasoning to a certain extent, but she did not know that the virtual life she was trying to leave was not what we now had. Our friendship wasn't virtual anymore, it was real. I sent emails, I sent notes, but there was no response. So why do I still consider her a friend? Because I understand her, even her leaving, and I know there is a part of me that will always carry a little bit of her.

Spring cleaning is in full force in my home, organizing, decluttering, dedusting (I never really understood the term 'dusting' -- why would I want more dust around?), but there are parts that will stay the same, parts of the past that are now a vital part of me and I can't rid myself of those pieces anymore than I can rid myself of my heart. My friend, and the other internet friends I've met in real life, have woven their way into me, as has Rainy. Though we may all never meet again at least in this world, they will always be a part of me. For as Tennyson's poem Ulysses says, I am a part of all that I have met.

10 comments:

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

What an incredible post -

I've recently shared some thoughts of my own about friends that have disappeared from my life -

The doubts the wonders the questions especially when for a time our lives were so linked in so many ways -

I had tried to stay in touch with one special friend of mine (actually the one to inspire my post) and have been ignored -

I'll try once more - this June 12th when it is his birthday -

If that message goes without response, I'll have my closure - and I'll always recall the great times we had and what he helped me become -

GO PHILLIES!

houndstooth said...

Very insightful! I'm going through some of that with an online friend now. I understand some of what she's done, but not all of it.

Two French Bulldogs said...

good post..we know friends are good
Benny & Lily

RILEY AND STAR MY MALTESEKIDS said...

And are we glad we met you dear frend! Have a happy weekend!

Luv,
Riley and Star.

Archie and Melissa said...

what a beautiful post!
it is so rich and true. everything happens the way it is supposed to. we all are tapestries of the fibers of our lives.
xoxoxo
m & e

Stubby said...

Hi dw! I loved this post! Every morning when I wake up I hear the birds singing. It's like they've come back just to wake me up from my long winter slumber.

The snow is starting to melt and all our plants are starting to push through the dirt. They are reaching for the sun, the air, and the cool breezes. They come alive just like the rebirth of all that surrounds them.

Stubby xoxo

Tweedles -- that's me said...

I hear your words.
I understand your heart.
I feel that way too.

I watched as the waves rolled out into the sea.
As they vanished, they reminded me of times that once I also shared with someone. Someone who left a deep hole in my heart, after our souls twined together.
It seems impossible that something so special can become a vapor.
The memory is never wiped clean from our heart.
We are who we are, because of those who have touched us.
The hole in our heart lasts forever.
love
tweedles

Hank said...

Wow, I like this.

It is so true that everyone you've ever met teaches you SOMETHING - be it good, bad or indifferent.

Not everyone who comes into one's life is meant to be there forever, and life is much easier now that I've reached an age where I finally "get" that. (Just wish I'd figured it out sooner!) :D

Shelia said...

Dear dw,

Your posts always leave me pondering. I am truly a piece and portion of everything that's happened to me and of many people I've met.
I am sorry it didn't work out with Rainy. There were a few times we didn't know if we would ever "get in the groove" with LuLu. She wasn't potty-trained, leash trained, or crate trained. We got Mister Bean when he was 9 weeks old, so we raised him from a pup. LuLu was already a year old and didn't know a thing!! That Man is retired and is home with them all day and I must admit, training a puppy or a dog is much easier when someone is home with them a lot!
I'm glad you spent time with Rainy and then gave her to a good family. She may not have gone to this family if not for you. She also is a part of all she has met.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving messages. I hope to be over my winter blues now that spring is here.

Sincerely,
Mister Bean's MaMaFigure

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Well said. Your Puggies are adorable!!