Surprise Visit At Hobby Lobby

Today I ran into Hobby Lobby to check out the sales for this week.    Coming around a corner I had to stop so I wouldn’t bump into another person’s buggy.    You know how it is…you glance up at the other person, say “excuse me” and move on.     Well, about that time,  I realized I knew the other lady pushing her cart.    We both stopped when we realized we knew each other and had a nice long visit in the floral aisle for about an hour!      I’ll call her “D” and while I don’t think she’ll read my blog (I did give her the name of it) she says she doesn’t get on the computer very much, I wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable.    “D” and I have known each other since 8th grade.    She was a grade ahead of me but we were always friends.    

One time in the 8th grade my winter coat went missing from the coat closet.     Somehow I found out “D” had taken my coat and hidden it!   I told my mama and she sent a note to the teacher and lo and behold my coat reappeared!    Now don’t get the wrong impression, we were pre-teens and I guess she thought it was funny, we’d never had words and were casual friends at the time, so I don’t know why she did that.    But after that, we became good friends throughout our school years.

“D” dated this one guy throughout junior and senior high school.    He was a little bit older than her, went to another school and drove a Corvette!    Were were all in awe of “D”’s big city boyfriend.     He was so good to her too.    They got married a few days after she graduated from high school and had a very successful real estate business here in town.    Her husband was killed in a tragic auto accident in 1986.     Fortunately, “D” met “S” about two years after that and has been happily married to him since 1988.

“D” was my idol in high school.     She was tall & blonde, had perfectly straight hair, big blue eyes, was a cheerleader, beauty queen and homecoming princess.     Although she had all those honors, she was very down to earth and sweet to everyone.    She was never a snob and had a great personality.

I had semi-straight hair but in the 60’s and 70’s straight hair was the thing to have.     Our maid (don’t judge – it was the south in the 60’s) ironed my hair every morning before school.    That’s the only way I could get it straight.   OR sleep with my hair rolled in orange juice cans!!!   

“D” caught me up with a couple of our other friends that I haven’t seen in a while.    One of the girls (“P”) husband died several years ago of cancer.    Just recently “P” found out she has breast cancer in both breasts.    She got a 2nd opinion and her prognosis looks better than first believed.  

It’s always fun to run into old friends and catch up.   I just hate that we let so much time pass between visits but it seems like we all have so many obligations and busy lives we don’t make time to stay in touch.     Right now we’re planning to get together with “P” and another friend for lunch.   

I hope you’re lucky enough to still be in touch with your childhood friends.    If not, I challenge you to look them up and reconnect.