You Cannot Forget to LIVE

Sometimes I am guilty of this.  As a writer, I can tend toward the solitary if I'm particularly deep into a project. Last week was not the most productive for me, which always causes me a bit of anxiety and just general uncomfortableness because I feel like I'm neglecting a child.  Since work had so much of my time last week, I put writing on the schedule for Sunday.

Here's how it looked:

Sleep in.
Make coffee.
Consume coffee while rewriting.
Stay in my pajamas most of the day.  Okay, all day.

But then I got word that a friend would be in San Diego.

Let me give you the history with my friend Bonnie -

Bonnie lived in my small little town for two weeks when we were in the 4th Grade.  She was my best friend (as everyone was once I let them into my circle) for those two weeks.  And we haven't lost touch since.

We just had that inexplicable connection.  Have you ever had that with someone?

That's not to say that we talk everyday.  There were years when all we managed were emails, letters and Christmas cards.  But that thin thread that connected us was always there.

We both ended up being vegetarians - not something remotely in our thoughts at 9 years of age.  We both ended up huge animal advocates and dog lovers.  She doesn't work in my field (she's got an uber cool job - Neo-Natal Nurse Practicioner!), but what I do really resonates with her (the Humane Education, not the writing).

We're just two peas in a pod.

I hadn't seen her since this picture was taken.

Notice she and I are together on one side of Shamu and my boyfriend is all by himself on the other.

This was taken in high school.  In the late 80s.

So...write?  Or drive two hours to have lunch with Bonnie?

Lunch with Bonnie won out.

The two hour drive was miraculous - NO traffic.  Anywhere!  On a Sunday!  WHAT?  Yeah, totally meant to be.  You can't go anywhere in this town without there be traffic at every hour.  It was supposed to rain, but the sky was sunny.  I rocked out to my music, sang like an idiot (because with no one around me, who cares what I look like when I want to move and sing to Lady Gaga???) and got to spend time with one of the coolest people on the planet.

And I have absolutely no regrets.  I laughed so hard for two hours straight that my cheeks hurt.  She's one of the most amazing people I have ever met.  Probably why we're still in touch after all these years, right?

So here is to LIVING - to reliving old memories and creating new ones.

What about you - do you sometimes forget to live?  Or are you good at getting out there and creating new memories?