My excuse

When I make a serious commitment, I follow through. I don't plan to abandon NaBloPoMo, but instead of writing something interesting today, I will explain why I don't have time to write anything interesting today. And maybe that, in itself, will be interesting.

A few days ago I answered my phone to hear an adorable little German accent asking for Kristen. It was Anna, who attended my school and church during our junior year as an exchange student. She was calling from Salt Lake City, where she was visiting her former host family. Anna informed me that she would be in Portland a few days later, bringing another one of our close friends from the good old days too. It so happened that I didn't have anything too pressing on my radar today (excepting a number of items on my to-do list whose urgency was negotiable).

So I met Anna and Nalea at my old church and got to see many old friends there. Then we went down to Portland's Saturday Market and back to one of our former youth leaders' homes for a light lunch and lots of visiting with people I haven't seen in over a decade. Weird.

Shirley, Anna, Nalea, Kristen, Demitri, Madelyn, Sarah

Nalea and Kristen 1997

Anna and Kristen, the night before her return to Germany 1998

It is a strange phenomenon to attempt to sum up the last 10 years of one's life in a few sentences of small talk. What is worth discussing or appropriate to share? Which tiny aspects are representative of a comprehensive life? We've had the whole afternoon and evening together to catch up and get past just the small talk, which is really nice. Now Nalea and Anna are staying over at my house, so I'm going to finish my blackberry currant herbal tea while we visit a little more. It's rude to be on the computer with house guests, you know!