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Mainland visit comes to an end

Pebbles, Roxie and Bailey are keeping me company right now, while my friend Gail presides over her homeowners' association meeting. She's the president. That's life in the big city. Pebbles and Roxie are tortoise-shell calicos. Bailey is an ever-alert soft-coated wheaten. They live here in the pretty coastal town of Encinitas, Calif. Tonight is my last here on the mainland. I've just spent a long weekend with a very special group of people. I've learned over the years that really good friends don't come along all that often, or easily. True friends are rare. They are the individuals with whom you can truly be yourself and never worry whether they will continue to love you. You can act goofy or play the ukulele badly. You can be reflective or emotional or happy or sad and they'll always be right there with you. These are the people you worry about. They are the friends who feel your pain and with whom you want to share your own happiness and successes. It doesn't matter if you live next door or thousands of miles away. You may talk to them often or rarely. These are the friends with whom you pick up right where you left off with no awkward re-acquaintance, as if no time has passed. The fact is, they are your family, more so sometimes than your blood relatives. These are your peeps, your homeys. They are the people you entrust with your innermost hopes, dreams, frustrations and secrets. Hang on to these people.
It's been a nice, two week adventure. I got my tooth fixed. Funny. I didn't know it needed fixing before I left home. So much for the quick cleaning and checkup. I felt the chill and warmth of my old home town. The chill came from the the autumn air. The warmth came from the people of Gunnison. I was wined and dined in high-country style. I bonded with my empty-but-cozy cabin. The mule deer came to visit. I drank more wine, ate great food, laughed my okole off and got caught up with my California buddies. Last year we spotted David Crosby in a grocery store. This year, the celebrity sighting was Noah Wiley. Next year, I'm hoping we all get recruited as overpaid extras after an encounter in the checkout line with Stephen Spielberg. It rained just a little, but I enjoyed plenty of sunshine. Ron insists the sky has been crystal clear nearly every day since I left the island. Tomorrow, I will be reunited with him and my furry family. I will post the weeks' photos when I return to the hovel. I'm out of money, but life is good.
A hui hou. Aloha!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Those are great words of wisdom Toni! It was great to see you again and be around friends and for sure we are family. Keep plucking the ukelele and I'll start practicing. Safe travels home.
8:10 PM
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