An Old Friend

I ran into an old friend a couple of months ago.  It wasn't really by accident.  I had been looking for something that was missing. I knew it had been there at a time in the past but had not been around for a while.  Did I mention it was an invisible friend? 

We were close during my teen years.  My friend helped me sort things out, become aware of the world around me, made me slow down enough to recognize priorities.  After running several miles on the beach my friend would persuade me to sit and watch the waves for an hour.  I could be transfixed by the persistence of the water coming back to the shore time and time again.  And the colors!  My friend would encourage me to take the long way home so I could drive through the overhanging forests of the Old Pali Road.  Slowly.  That helped me see the calming effect of beauty.  And what is another 10 minutes?  We would sit at the end of the runway and watch 747's take off over me.  How do they do that?  They were huge but graceful.

But as with too many people I know, I outgrew my friend.  Serious school, a job, family, all worked on my mind to crowd out my friend.  I didn't have time.  Priorities changed to meet expectations - other people's, not mine.  I saw how much a waste of time my friend was.  I compressed activity to meet goals quicker.  Accomplish... be efficient... busy. The pressure to be "there" grew.  No time.

Running into Solitude recently was a such a surprise.  I had forgotten them altogether.