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When You Get a Chance…

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The blogosphere has been a gift, an inspiration, a learning experience, an on-going teacher, a place to create, to vent, to share… but you all know this because most of you are bloggers.  I have mentioned how much I appreciate the folks I’ve gotten to know, even doing a sort of Advent Calendar to show my appreciation for some… may have to do another this year, to be determined.

I have become good friends with a few bloggers that has brought us to the Skype stage (or rather, Messenger), allowing us to exchange face to face.  Did so, just this morning, in fact!

I have been so very lucky to meet two bloggers in person. One is from Montreal, right next door to speak, who also happens to be a friend of a friend, proving the world is a puny place.  And one who has become more than a cherished friend with whom I can share anything and everything, as he knows he can with me, our trust and respect for each other is that great.

And just this last Tuesday, I met a third.  Sawsan, who blogs at Last Tambourine, is a wonderful woman that I first “met” through David Kanigan’s fabulous, inspiring, thought-provoking blog, Live and Learn. Sawsan often comments with “return” pieces of poetry or prose to David’s original post and the exchanges between her and David, are wonderful and inspiring, and often humorous and even snarky.  Actually, David’s peeps love to interact with each other on his posts and he has created quite the family.

The world truly is puny as a few months ago, Sawsan and I found out – too late – we were at the same hospital at the same time on different floors visiting our loved ones. What? Damnation…  From that moment on, our exchanges went from solely on David’s blog, to emails and texting.

Again, Sawsan had to come to town (three towns over from mine) to stay with her parents to help out following her mother’s surgery, and this time there was no way in hell we were going to miss meeting each other.  Friday fell through so we had Tuesday and Wednesday left as potentials.  David kept texting us, teasing us that we were not gonna manage to get together… The thing is, when you are in town only now and again, you have family obligations that cannot be avoided.  However, we were able to prove David wrong when she was able to escape the parents and we met for coffee that turned into dinner. We had to send him selfies to prove it 😉

She has a lilting voice with the loveliest accent of her place of birth (Palestine) and a beautiful, sweet smile.  We hugged hello and talked non-stop until it was time to leave. Our senses of humour were in synch and we felt like old friends from the first minute.

When we start this blogging business, we never think things could or would go further than the post page.  Yes, there are those we find ourselves bantering with, some, by sharing our stories, we come to care for. We send each other encouragement, love, friendship, kudos, and we don’t expect things will go to the next level. We might joke and say, next time you are in Chicago, New York, Boulder, etc (coz, right, like I go to any of these places on a whim), don’t forget to look me up!

So when you get a chance…

… you take it!

 

 

 

 

111 thoughts on “When You Get a Chance…”

  1. Friends are a by-product of blogging. I have met several folks via the inter tunnel. Some have visited my home and some I have visited theirs. DK is on my bucket list of people I have to meet someday and he and I often exchange emails. If you ever get down to South Carolina or Georgia, let me know…. lots of bloggers down here.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, they are. And sometimes the friendships go even deeper than the ones we’ve known for years. DK is also on my buket list – just don’t tell him, he’ll get all funny 😉
      Been to South Carolina, drove through Georgia… Don’t know how many bloggers I follow who do live in those parts 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Dear Dale,

    I can relate. It’s amazing how technology has shrunk the globe. I can remember having a couple of pen pals as a kid but blogging is like having them on steroids. I’ve had the pleasure to meet a few of my blogging friends face to face and in person. Pretty amazing and wonderful.
    I’m always chuffed when we have our three way facetimes. 😉 Thank you for sharing your time with Sawsan.

    Shalom and lotsa chlorine scented hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Rochelle,

      What a perfect way to put it! Pen pals on.steroids… I like it.
      I’m always chuffed when we have our face to face to face spanning 6 time zones. Who’d a thunk that would have been possible once upon a time.

      Shalom and losta snowflake covered love,

      Dale

      Liked by 2 people

  4. When I started blogging I did not have a clue about the relational end of writing. This has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of writing. I never get enough time to comment. But now than my world is changing a bit I am going to prioritize this most beautiful part of blogging.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. The “blogosphere” is an amazing place, isn’t it? I, too, have made several wonderful friends in the ether, one of whom is now my very dearest friend in the world. Funny, funny place this.

    And DK’s blog is a special community–full of folks I think of as ‘old friends’ in a strange sort of way, you and Sawsan included. So happy (and admittedly a wee bit jealous) that you two connected in person. Nice to read about like minds meeting and enjoying one another’s company, particularly in these fractious times….

    Liked by 4 people

    • It is a fabulous place indeed. And my I so cherish the friendships that I have forged.

      DK’s blog is so special. We are the usual suspects, the main same ones who comment to and with each other that I feel we have become friends. Don’t blame you for being jealous, I would have been too 😉

      Liked by 3 people

  6. What a lovely, positive, reinforcement of one of the joys of blogging. It’s great even for those who blog solely for themselves, and for some that is all they wish. We have vowed never to fly again so the chances of my getting to the land of my mother’s birth is nil. I still have my dreams though!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. So … when are you coming to New York?! 😉
    And … what a lovely post! I’m so happy you and Sawsan met in person — some of these things are meant to be, ya know! We just are called to make the extra effort (David skeptics notwithstanding or sometimes… well ,.. helpful in the prodding department …) and make things happen.
    Yay to friendships!
    Na’ama
    PS going to check out some blogs … 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Every friendship is a little miracle, really. How wonderful you have been able to meet some fellow bloggers FTF. That remains on my horizon. I had no idea the connections I would make through blogging and it truly is the best part. Thanks for being so warm and open and sharing in this funky blog-world!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Isn’t it fantastic to be able to meet fellow bloggers after becoming friends via the page. A few years back I met up with Brian (you’ve seen his comments on my posts). It was only a brief visit, we so hit it off, we could have talked on for many more days. Alas, he and his partner were on a tight schedule.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. So very true and how cool that you’ve actually met a few blogging friends in person. I really enjoy the friendships I’ve made as well – all the comments and feedback have been great. It’s great to have a place to go where you can share your likes with those who enjoy the same likes. It really is like having an old fashion pen pal.

    Liked by 1 person

    • It is. The friendships formed have become quite important to me. Comments and exchanges have broadened my horizons, comforted me in moments. It’s pen pal taken to outer limits!
      Thanks so much for your lovely comment.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. I’m so happy we got to meet. And I have to give David credit for his constant prodding.

    I didn’t feel like I was meeting someone for the first time!!!
    It was like we were there having coffee just the day before.

    Thank you for taking the time, and driving all the way so I can stay near my parents.

    In Chicago it’ll be sleepover 😘

    Liked by 2 people

  13. You have touched on many aspects that will be in my finale series – so thanks for confirming my thoughts. You know one of my mantras – the majority of the world is good – so it’s posts like these that make me smile. Meanwhile, until the day we meet – cheers!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Q,

    This is a beauty of a post, and a much needed break from the daily regimen of forgettable and in some cases, heartbreaking news. The positive that brings us back to a place where hope is still very much a thing. And that is what you’ve created here with this fantastic and heartfelt piece.

    Anything, at all, that helps you . . that provides encouragement, hope, inspiration . . anything that makes your life better . . it’s a good thing. So here and hear to WP, and all its brothers and sisters who help to do these things on a daily basis by providing that intersection for people.

    This is so typically you, lady. 🙂

    B

    Liked by 1 person

    • B,

      Why thank you, my friend. Yes, sometimes (often) we need to focus on the positive around us to balance things out. Which in and of itself could be taken as a sad thing – but I won’t.

      Yes and yes! I think the WP “family” has a little for everyone. There is that annoying aunt or uncle that we can choose to avoid as well as the cousins and in-laws who provide the lovely in the world.

      It is, isn’t it… 😉

      Q

      Liked by 1 person

      • Life is going to throw us plenty of curve balls and worse, so it’s really a matter of how we react to these.

        What I’ve experienced on WP is a book indeed. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, because it has given me so very much. And to think there was a time when I didn’t know what a blog was!

        I know those aunts and those uncles! And I also know those cousins and those in-laws who provide me with the lovely on the regular.

        It truly is.

        Liked by 1 person

    • It’s funny you should say that. A friend of mine decided to do the same thing with his Facebook friends. He figured it was time we all got off our asses and got together in person…. ‘course, I dunno that he actually did it…

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Oh I KNEW it…. I just knew you’d hit it off like two power houses on fire 🙂
    Although I don’t ‘own’ a blog, I’ve made the very same experience many, many times with my Flickr people. Although the site is no longer the attractive place it once was, it is the one I’ll always treasure for it has given me a substantial number of then new friends and plenty of ‘real life’ encounters. I have even been able to forge a friendship of three, my English Quilting Queen and a Swiss Quilter and my non-quilting self created a fabulous ‘triangle’ and we’ve met several times and spent lovely, lovely times. The Swiss friend is now not in good health and I’ll visit her as soon as I can, the English one is a true forever friend who will always stay in my close love-nest, I’ve met a beautiful man on a rare walk at Lake Léman and went over to ask him if he was, by any chance, such-and-such because he chose his photographic sites where I just ‘knew’ that guy would be looking – and he was! We met up several times when I was in the ‘Romandie’ and I was terribly sad to learn he died a few months ago. I’ve made real and online friends in Canada, many states of the US, Brasil, Italy, France, England/Wales, Germany, and further East….
    It’s a real ‘special blessing’ to make friends in this way and many of your readers underlined the fact that these friendships often run deeper and are truer for the simple reason that we are more honest with ourselves when we can ‘share’ feelings and thoughts unguarded.
    Of course, you both know that I was slightly jealous (in a good way) that you two met but I’m mostly thrilled for you both. And if ever your way leads you to Switzerland, you’ll have a bed and food on the table at ‘chez moi’ – just let me first sell that house nr Paris and return to my home country! D’acc?!

    Liked by 2 people

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