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Gandalf
10-14-2007, 09:08 PM
Nothing medical this time- I promise!

I went to a party today, where a friend was showing slides of her trip to Germany, and holding a mini Oktpberfest. Yes, she is German. (And she'd visited 41 relatives in 16 days.) It was quite the trip, and she had hundreds of slides to prove it. Well, we could wander from room to room; there was no need to sit and watch four hours of slides. I was actually pretty interested, though "slides from our vacation" is a stereotypical buzzkill. But, besides the slides, there was going to be grilled meat and dark beer. Heck, I could put up with some slides.

In fact, there were many people there that I knew from other circles; I knew way more attendees than I thought I would.

Most of my ah... encounters... there were pleasant, but one was downright surreal.

I walked into the house. I greeted my host. "Hey," she said, after the hugs and some introductions, "why don't you ditch your jacket? Just toss it on the bed; the bedroom is down the hall and to your left." I started through the doorway, when...

Wham!

There was another partygoer, coming from the other direction. Turning sharply left, this guest (who hadn't seen me coming) slammed lightly into my body. And there we were.

Face to face. Nose to nose. Practically lips to lips...

...an old girlfriend, whom I hadn't seen in at least 10 years.

I didn't have a clue that she even knew my host.

It wasn't a pleasant parting. This wasn't a happy reunion. And I wasn't exactly thrilled about being introduced to her husband, the man who she'd decided she liked better than me, and whom she'd only seen fit to mention several weeks after this decision.

Well, I'm happier now than I was then. I'm glad that he won her heart. I'm glad that I didn't, because when we ended up nose to nose, my only thought--before I even recognized her, or at least before it sank in-- was: "Oh, ICK!"

That, I suppose, is some kind of a revenge.

We drank no toasts to days gone by, and the men didn't duke it out or engage in any one-upmanship games. He'd won his prize. And me? I was there with someone way nicer, and when I went home, I washed my face and brushed my teeth.

Dee
10-15-2007, 05:10 AM
I'm glad that he won her heart. I'm glad that I didn't, because when we ended up nose to nose, my only thought--before I even recognized her, or at least before it sank in-- was: "Oh, ICK!"

Excuse me while I laugh my head off. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/deemark/Emoticons/laughing.jpg

If there was ever going to any lingering regrets Gandalf, I guess your doorway collision put an end to that nicely.

Closure is good. It sets you free for other opportunities.

Gandalf
10-15-2007, 06:20 PM
> Closure is good.
Yes, it is, but...

> It sets you free for other opportunities.
...and trust me on this one, Dee: closure works a whole lot better if the other opportunities are not standing right next to you at the time.

hoops
10-15-2007, 06:49 PM
awww Gandalf, you've had a tough couple weeks. but now you are safe here with us nuts... you're always safe here
peace
hoops

Gandalf
10-15-2007, 07:09 PM
Thanks, Hoops. Thanks Dee.

But I really don't want to give you the impression that life is tough. In fact, life is good, and I know it. Yes, these are experiences I would not voluntarily choose, but I am very aware:
- That every day I wake up on this side of the grass is a gift,
- That I am healthier than much of the world,
- That I live better than most of the kings and queens in all of history (1)
- That I live better than most of the world does now, and...
Well, I could go on.

These few weeks should be the worst that ever happen to any of us, and we'll all be doing well.

In the meantime, I have stories to share with...

...friends like these.

Thanks, all!

1 = "Things sucked in the old days too, Dad; they just sucked without indoor plumbing!"
--My son