The Things We Learn in Time

One of the things we learn as we grow older is that we missed a lot of things when we were younger. One of the things I've learned is that I now count as friends a lot of people that I only vaguely knew back in high school, if I knew them at all ... back then, we moved in different circles and belonged to different cliques that tended to limit or prevent our contact. Now, though, through the magic of nostalgia fueled by Facebook and the occasional reunion, we're finding each other and realizing that we missed out on a great deal.

At our 40th high school reunion back in 2009, I reconnected with Debbie - a lady I'd worshiped from afar all those years ago. We discovered that she'd also had an interest in me back then, but that we were both too shy to do anything about it. We became good friends, and I was greatly saddened when she passed away not long after the reunion.

When my father passed away last year, I was astounded when Bill ... one of the football stars from my old high school ... appeared at the funeral home to pay his respects. We'd sort of known each other back in the day, but I was part of the geek group, and he was one of the jocks, and never the twain shall meet. He was pleasant and gracious, and it warmed my heart that he came out in such terrible winter weather to help say goodbye to dad.

And through the magic of Facebook I've come to know Gail, a lady I knew back in high school only in passing ... but it turns out she and I share a fondness for many similar things, like Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories," the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the poetry of Robert W. Service ... and on top of everything else, she knows the lyrics to "Sixteen Tons." Had I but known ...

And then there's Pepper, who was a majorette back in high school - a class of demigoddess that lived well above the level of the Common Nerd. And today, she's a speech therapist with a fun and quirky sense of humor with whom a linguist and semanticist can enjoy trading terrible puns.

And let's not forget Marilyn, another of my re-found friends, whose love of crafts - particularly quilting - has made her a soul mate to Agnes, and led to my fear that the two may eventually meet in person and deplete my savings in the nearest fabric store.

The musing here is just that we have friends in places we didn't always expect or completely understand. And it's sad that it takes so long to realize it.

Have a good day. Come back tomorrow for the naming of our Left-Cheek Ass Clown for January.

Bilbo