Have I mentioned that I am loving waiting tables?! I get to meet such amazing, interesting, and kind people.
I met a man recently who was celebrating completing his first half marathon. He is 91 years old. And he and his wife have been married for 66 years. Just amazing.
I also met a couple recently to whom I mentioned a bit about my story and my blog. As we talked about my unknown future, the lovely lady said she likes to call that “delicious ambiguity.” No matter how things turn out, they will be good. I told her I loved the saying and that I might post about it. Well, here it is!
And here’s to all the wonderful things you can learn from talking with people. Love. It is the absolute most important thing in the world.
We started our day a little leisurely, waking up without an alarm. Even so, we were on the road around 9 am. We skipped breakfast so BA had a few Wilbur Buds to hold her over (thanks Kim!).
About two hours down the road, we decided it was a frappe Saturday so we stopped and got ourselves medium caramel frappes and fries at McDonalds. I also filled up the car and cleaned the windshield and rear window. My car got 40 mpg again, which is great (especially given how heavy the car is now that it’s packed full).
Shortly thereafter, we crossed into Georgia; and, as has been the case all along the way so far, I said “Welcome to Georgia, BA!” To which she said thank you and promptly texted her brother that we just crossed the line into Georgia. Not even five minutes later, we passed a sign that said “Welcome to Tennessee!” We were a little confused but we went with it. I asked BA if she was going to text her brother that we were back in Tennessee now and she said, “Nope.”
Traffic today was noticeably heavier and less patient than the past two days. I may have dropped several expletives, which I was delighted to find BA completely agreed with.
A couple hours later we made it to Atlanta and BA’s brother’s home. We had a nice introductory conversation and then he kindly took us on a driving tour of parts of Atlanta. We saw Emory University (fun fact: Emory was the only place I applied to in high school – and, no, I didn’t get accepted), the Governor’s mansion, parts of Buckhead, and Peachtree Rd, along with several other sights. Atlanta is hillier than I expected and is lush with beautiful mature trees.
Upon returning home, we quickly dove into some day drinking and chatting while dinner was cooking. What a delightful time chatting with BA and David! Dinner was a delicious fall-themed meal and the great conversation continued. I talked with them about the 5 Love Languages – you know what a fan I am of that – and really enjoyed the whole visit so far because I am a quality time kind of person.
I particularly enjoyed the banter between BA and David. Here’s a nugget you’ll have to ask her about sometime. Check out the horse in the picture below. It wasn’t originally designed to have a removable tail. Yet, now it does…
We get an extra hour to sleep tonight. Perhaps we’ll actually make it past 10 pm! Good night y’all!
Good friends tell you the truth. They don’t just tell you what you want to hear. And when I say the truth, I’m not talking about things like telling you when you have something in your teeth. Although any friend should do that!
I’m talking about telling you the truth by asking you the tough questions and challenging your perspective. Your friendship exists in a judgement-free space where you’re able to be fully vulnerable with each other, knowing that no matter what, you’ll always be there for each other.
I am blessed with lots of great good friends. I love spending time with them. I love sharing laughs. And I’m extra grateful for them when we need to share tears.
Be sure to be that good friend in return. Tell them the truth. And tell them how much you appreciate them, if you haven’t done that in a little while.
Hair, both beautiful and vile. When it’s attached to your head, it is prized and cared for. When it’s unattached from your head, it is gross and repellant. Think of how much time and money we spend on our hair, just to shed it or cut it off.
And although I’m not super girly, I do love getting my hair done. There’s just something therapeutic about chatting at the salon, enjoying someone else washing my hair, and the excitement of a new color and/or a cut.
This is yet another example of going someplace different from normal and enjoying good people. I love listening to the conversations in a salon. There’s something special about the conversations that occur between people who have an intimate relationship but only see each other every 10 weeks or so.
J.I.L.L. 