July 22: Did Not Stay Long, Unavoidable, Stupid Luck

Santiago misses the bird and the boy . . . 

You did not stay long, the man thought. But it is rougher where you are going until you make the shore. How did I let the fish cut me with that one quick pull he made? I must be getting very stupid. Or perhaps I was looking at the small bird and thinking of him. Now I will pay attention to my work and then I must eat the tuna so that I will not have a failure of strength.

"I wish the boy were here and that I had some salt," he said aloud.

Today was that last day at work for one of my favorite coworkers/friends at the library.  Again, as I said in last night's post, friends and family go in and out of the revolving door of your life all the time.  It's normal.  Sad.  Unavoidable.

Sometimes those people come back into your life.  Other times, they become just pictures on your phone or stories in a blog.  Or hearts on a Facebook post.  Birthday wishes you send once every year when a notification comes up on your social media feed.  

My friend is leaving for graduate school.  I'm excited for her.  She's young and full of all kinds of excitement for the future.  Pretty great.  I remember that feeling.  It was a long time ago, and the world seemed so much bigger back then.  

Friends will always be your friends, even if you don't hear from them for ten or 20 or 30 years.  Or never again.  Friendship has a pretty long half-life.  I'm sitting on my couch right now, thinking of all the friends I have in my life.  And all the friends who've become posts on my Facebook feed or late-night Snapchat conversations.  I have been so stupidly lucky with friends.

And that's Saint Marty's blessing tonight.  That stupid, wonderful luck.