[Tara and I @ Burning Man, 2012…a picture sure can tell a thousand words.]
I woke up yesterday to a text message from one of my oldest and dearest friends who lives in Boston. It read, “Can I come visit you…like tomorrow?” I would be lying if I said this was totally out of the blue, as we’ve been hoping to make this visit happen for awhile now, but WOW, it was suddenly happening…like tomorrow, which is now…like today. Of course my answer was a resounding, “YES!” and in about three hours, I’ll be on my way to the airport to pick Tara up. Insta-reunion. Just. Like. That.
I think we can probably all relate to the utter radness of dear old friends—the ones who have known you through all of life’s messes and celebrations, breakdowns and breakthroughs, falling in loves and falling aparts, and all the twists and turns that reflect a life lived to the fullest. There is simply nothing else like these relationships. They run deep and they run strong. And, I have to admit that the more my online network grows and expands (which I LOVE, of course, don’t get me wrong), I am craving these deep old connections like nobody’s business. Why? Because it’s my oldest friends who know the whole story…
My whole story.
They knew me when I used to paint in my cramped bedroom after long nights of waitressing. They knew me when I schlepped my paintings to every dinky little art walk and hosted art shows in my own living room with hopes of paying the rent. They knew me when I got rejected from all three MFA Painting programs I applied to. They knew me when I lived in a tent for six months volunteering after Hurricane Katrina. They also knew me when I lived in my van, my art studio warehouse and as a permanent “house-sitter.” They knew me when I went to Burning Man for the first time and witnessed me finally beginning to fall in love with myself there. They knew me when I suddenly (and painstakingly) changed my name to Flora after 30 years (yes, that’s a whole other post) And, to say they’ve known me through the deepest of loves and the hardest of heartbreaks, would be a pretty big understatement.
Yep. There are a handful of people who know the whole of me, and I love them so much for that knowing.
For the next three days, my regularly scheduled life will be on hold. Besides writing these posts (of course :)) and keeping up with a minimal amount of other commitments, I will happily be giving myself over to the precious moments as they unfold between two old friends. Because, really—what else is more important than spending quality time with the people you love the most in your life? I’m pretty sure…nothing.
If you take a peak at my friend Tara’s photography, you will quickly see that she also “gets” the magic of human connection. In fact, she has built an entire career out of capturing these moments for other people….a rockin’ career, I might add. I was blessed to have Tara take all the photos in my book, and if you have the book, you KNOW how gorgeous those photos are.
I am blessed to know her. End of story. Adios.
xo flora
