The days of past futures passed.

Yesterday I had lunch with one of the "old gang" I hadn't seen in over forty years! that's an insanely long time to be away from people you knew and cared about even if they were from High School days. Yes, not all of us were friends, we didn't know everyone well and we hung out with our best buddies, but we knew these other people enough to say hello and have somewhat meaningful conversations with them, or we were at least cordial if not outright friendly. But this guy was one of my closest friends so he qualifies as an "old gang" member big time.

So yesterday I had lunch with one of the "old gang" and a new member of the "new old gang" who was in our high school class and who I knew basically only in passing. Seeing him now I'm actually happy to know that I know him! Differences have gone away as new perspectives creep in. Age levels the field and gives us all a sense of camaraderie that wasn't there before. Now I remember him, he remembers me and we have a chance now to be in touch because we find ourselves living in the same town, how cool is that? I feel a sense of wonder like a little kid again. I have a new friend who could have been an old friend if things had just been a little bit different.

Yesterday I heard stories of others that were in our class: who's married, who got divorced, how many kids, how many grandchildren, who's passed on....already! We never know how that adventure called 'life' is going to treat us: who's going to get stroked, who's going to get beaten, or destroyed, or pampered and it's never the people who get what we think we thought they would. Got that? That is to say, the one most likely to......often isn't the one.

There was excitement as I found out that one of the girls I sort of had a crush on may be coming to visit this side of the state sometime and I'm actually excited at the prospect of seeing her again! We never dated of course, but we were very friendly and I have thought of her often over the years. I think it would be fantastic to see her and some of the other people that I found out about who are living here. I had no idea there were so many of my classmates so close by. Small world again...eh?

This is one time I'm glad the world seems to be so small. Now I just wish that more of the people I know and those I love so dearly were closer too. We're all not getting any younger. I'm going to have to work on that!