I Am A Friend - Walking and Talking with Cindy

There were times in my life when I have needed to seek the listening ear of a compassionate, wise therapist.  I would spend 50 minutes pouring out my angst, my fears, my confusion and she would sit, listen, encourage and sometimes make a suggestion.  I would leave a little stronger, a little calmer, and a little financially poorer.  But I considered it money well spent…it was for my personal well-being and sometimes life can overwhelm and this was a gift I could give to myself.

I am fortunate that my life is on an even plane these days…my strongest feelings are ones of contentment and gratitude…but there are still things I would love to share to a listening ear.  Enter my friend, Cindy!

Cindy is a gift that life handed to me a few years ago.  Like two magnets we were drawn into our friendship when Cindy joined Omnilore, our Learning-in-Retirement organization. We seemed like-minded and shared a similar energy.  For the past 2 years we have found 2 hours once a week to meet for a “walk and talk!”  Sometimes it is just through a neighborhood, sometimes it is at the Botanical Gardens, 

sometimes it is along the beach.  Today was our day and Cindy suggested we meet at the Interpretive Center in Palos Verdes.  I am so fortunate to live just a few minutes down Palos Verdes Dr. South from this location and enjoyed the coastal views as I drove to the Center.

Once there, and after our required pit stop so we would not get distracted…we headed out on one of the trails.  We have developed an easy way of sharing our lives.  It is as if we have an Indian “talking pipe” that we hand back and forth to each other.  I held the imaginary pipe first and talked about our Thanksgiving Day…she listened, commented, laughed; and then I handed the pipe to her.  She talked about her Thanksgiving Day…and I listened, commented, laughed. We often pass other walkers and periodically stop to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings…and today we also watched for rattlesnakes! 

And so it went for about an hour of walking, gifting each other with little snippets of our lives, our hopes, our concerns, our joys.

We always spend the last hour sitting outside a Starbucks, sipping coffee and continuing the talk.  We often coordinate classes together so we discuss the class and what we need to prepare.  When we return to the parking lot, before leaving we will reach into the trunks of our car to share an article, a bunch of kale from the garden, a book, a knitting project that we brought along to show each other…then we head off to our individual lives.  I leave a little stronger, a little calmer and only poorer by the cost of a cup of coffee!  

 I am grateful for my friend!