A shoutout to a friendship that was!

Tomorrow, I go back to work and will most likely have no time to write until a long weekend, or Winter Break comes along! So, this could be the last post for a while.

The last 2 months, I got to see almost all my friends. I have resigned myself to the fact that I may never see Smoggie in person, and that meant the only other friend I did not see was G … until I saw him from the bus I was on the other day. I couldn’t get off the bus or shout out his name to get his attention, but I was happy to catch a glimpse.

Of all my friendships, my friendship with G was the most scrutinized and the most divisive.

In my 22 years of marriage with Craigley, I was mostly miserable. I should have walked out in July 2014, but I did not. There are important reasons why I didn’t act and waited patiently for an ending that seemed to take forever. (As always, I digress. But that needed to be mentioned as it adds meaning and understanding to my friendship with G.)

When they came up with “the pursuit of happiness”, they weren’t kidding. I know it is American in origin, but it can be applied universally to anyone. I do believe it is a fundamental human right and most of us pursue happiness in our own way. Sometimes we find it in a person and sometimes we find it in our children and sometimes in something else. For me, I usually find happiness in helping others find their happiness. And that can get addictive! (And I digress some more!)

My association with G began in early 2016 when he worked on the school yearbook with another parent. After a few days, I was called in as a “mediator” as G and this other parent, a mom, were at loggerheads with each other. So, I decided to step in and help them. That mom was already a friend and then G became a friend as well. I don’t need to go into all the drama that ensued from that particular friendship. Despite that, I think of him fondly because working with G created some of the happiest memories of my life. And yet, I couldn’t keep him in my life. I protested, rebelled and tried my darndest and nothing worked.

This post is about acknowledging a friendship that was grossly misunderstood and eventually relinquished. But nothing is over until it is over. If there is life, there is hope.

My solo trips to Ottawa are always fruitful. This time around, I realized that I need some growing up to do. I had to admit to myself that I also needed to heal and get better. That means acknowledging everything that is damaged with my life and trying to fix it.