It Is Not Necessary

The phone was ringing.  Most people have cellphones and most cellphones have caller ID so, most people know who is calling.  My new friend announced herself with her first and last name.  I grinned, she most always does that.  She told me it was probably a good thing I did not accompany her on her recent outing.  She did not return home until 8 o'clock in the evening.  I cringed, laughed out loud and gave a silent thanks for choosing to stay home.  She had managed to spend nearly seven hours in two stores.  The thought of it made my head spin.  

My friend has a hard time understanding why I do not like to shop.  She reminds me of my sisters, Lela and Blanche.  They like to shop like my friend does.  But, their idea of shopping differs from mine.  When I shop, I usually know what I'm looking for, find it, pay for it and leave.  When they shop, especially for clothing, they finger every piece of cloth in the entire store, try on endless outfits and many, many times, leave empty handed.  Drives me crazy.  On this occasion though, my friend had found bargains galore and was very satisfied with all her purchases.

My new friend is a lot of fun and I enjoy spending time with her.  She usually insists on driving, mostly because it is her idea for a new adventure and even though her driving scares the holy crap out of me, I go.  The Voice, that lives in my head, always reminds me of what my husband has so affectionately told me on more than one occasion, "It amazes me that I have ever been able to drive anywhere without your help."  I also remind myself that she drives over a thousand miles, by herself, to winter in this place.  Sometimes I just have to close my eyes.

We enjoy each other's company for a variety of reasons but two stand out.  We like to talk and we like to listen.  We can spend hours talking about ourselves, our accomplishments and our failures.  Listening to each other, learning about our pasts and our future dreams.  We can sit for another hour, in the front seat of the car, in order to finish up whatever scenario we started on earlier.

It is good to have someone to talk to.  Even more important is having someone to listen.  It is not necessary to always look for, or offer a solution.  Many times, a listening ear can bring about miracles in peoples lives.  Perhaps there is a reason we have two ears and one mouth.