I got a message from an old girlfriend today.  We were catching up and she was telling me about her job and mentioned that she had a pair of nerf dart guns in her desk for venting at her colleagues.  I thought this was amusing, because I have two of those small plastic disc-shooting guns in mine.  I've had them ever since I graduated college, having purchased them shortly after starting my first job in the "real" world. 

It's always nice to reconnect with someone and discover some little thing that you both had in common and continued to carry with you even as the years scroll by......

I have been lucky in that I remain good, if not close, friends with most of my ex's.  The partings weren't always amicable, but after a period of time all you really remember (or, at least, all I try to remember) is how enjoyable it was to be around them.  When you see them or hear them on the phone, it's easy to greet her with a smile and catch up. Talk about things that have changed and things that have stayed the same.

When tragedy struck an ex of mine last month, it had the misfortune of being one of the few that I haven't stayed in touch with, and have always wished I had.  The absence of that connection only magnified the pain I felt over the news, and how powerless I felt to do anything to help.  Compounded with an experience from another relationship, it was a miserable time for me.  Never had the divide felt so great.

I have always felt lucky that I remain good friends with the majority of my ex-girlfriends.  So why on earth, when such tragic news strikes, does it fall upon one of the few I can't reach out and help?

When I had just finished a rough time in a long-distance relationship that had been going on for several years, my girlfriend sent me this note:

In my search for inspiration I came across 2 quotes that shed some light and helped me to kind of deal with what was going on with us. Just thought I would share…"You know you are in love when the same person who makes you so happy makes you so mad." "Love doesn't just sit there like stone. It has to be made like bread; remade all the time, made new." (Ursula Le Guin)

I am glad we decided to make new bread. Oh yeah, there was one more…"I love you. And it's getting worse." (Joseph Morris)

Here's to making new bread and reconnecting......

(Keep Talking – Pink Floyd)