My friend Jan is moving to Southern California. Got a better job! The Chows and I feel like calling off the rest of summer but as we're already in the thick of it, we'll just muddle through-- our hearts just aren't in it,though. There were all kinds of things that Jan and I just never got the chance to do and it will never be the same once we both can't say we're from The 'Kan.

For instance, we never got to ride our bikes together so many times that we got sick of it. We never got to give one of our other friend's daughter a shower. We never chaired a fundraiser together. We never got caught in a good rain with our good shoes on. We never once spent too much money on shoes together. We neve gave a Christmas luncheon together. We never did trade perennials. And we never, not once, built a house nor remodeled a kitchen jointly nor severally.

We never got around to arguing over the definitive choice of newspapers in the area. Never really hashed out the all time greatest American author. Did not even touch Meryl Streep's Lifetime Achievement. Never agreed on Aretha's best album.

Neither one of us went back to school during our friendship. Buried a parent nor got in a car accident.

But we had one heck of a good time--and laughed like crazy many others. Rolled our eyes behind others' backs when thank God, no one looked. Worried about our friend that drinks too much. Extolled righteously over the current state of politics. Remained staight faced in the utter lunacy of certain preposterous encounters. Went to the same public meeting place at the appointed hour and failed to connect when we were probably not more than twenty yards from each other. Had about ten or twenty dozen Lucy and Ethel experiences. Worried and sighed about our children. Bragged and preened about our children. Showed off our new shoes. Wondered, many times, what's the big deal here?

And we never changed jobs, jointly nor severally, until now. So we'll do that, too.

It's another full moon and The Chows just don't feel comfortable sleeping. They say full moons are times when really special things come down and they must be ON ALERT to monitor potential sightings and happenings. So tonight, I'll probably sit outside with them again after they wake me up for the second or third time and we'll remember that tomorrow holds no guarantee. And that change can come suddenly or gradually--but come it will. And somehow The Man In The Moon will flicker brighter and smile.

I just know it.


JBelle
Bellemaison
The 'Kan EWA