I went for a walk with a friend
Yesterday I woke up later than expected
Suffering from another sleepless night
Turning the breaking news of the pandemic, politics and our own personal rollercoaster ride over and over in ones mind doesn’t make for a well rested night.
I texted that I was running late and received a prompt “no problem” in return
My bride called to me from the other room “you’ll be late” I assured her that our time was a half hour later than I had told her the night before.
When I arrived I saw my friend walking toward my car. Although I see him weekly in the Brady Bunch boxes of Zoom I hadn’t seen him in person since February, seven months ago.
We began our walk around the preserve past the mist coming off the lake on a beautiful early October day and began our story telling.
First one of us than the other until finally we were cutting into each other’s tales to share a similar or near identical experience. We filled in the org chart of our families, while watching out for horse droppings on the trail.
One coincidence, picture Forest Gump in DC, we were both there living lives we can hardly remember, passionately calling for end of the insanity and the other hauling The Youngblood’s equipment on and off stage. Memories from more than one lifetime ago.
My ribs hurt from laughing as we trudged up the last quarter mile incline and I wasn’t sure if my glasses were fogging from the breath through my mask or the tears in my eyes.
We finished our conversation in the parking lot with more medical similarities that shouldn’t surprise two alter-cockers, but did.
It was a great way to spend a few hours climbing up and through the jungle gym of childhood and family memories with a friend as we walked along the trail under a canopy of trees on a cool fall day.
Daniel Rutberg 