Oceans of Words

Nicole sent me this print for Christmas, seeing in it the nature of our relationship maintained over time and distance by an endless conversation in writing. At one time, we wrote letters, lengthy missives begun in tidy script and trailing into a scrawl once cramp had set in. These days the letters are less frequent, replaced by card tag and spontaneous emails in the middle of a workday, but there is always a heart leap when I see her name in my inbox or her handwriting in the daily post.

I have, on occasion, heard her voice. She recorded A Charlie Brown Christmas for Ter and me a couple of years ago, so I need only open the book to hear her east coast drawl. I don’t hear it in her writing, though; as with all things subjective, I hear her via my innate universal translator, which sounds suspiciously like me. And, when you account for local vernacular, sounds hilariously discordant at times.

Nope, for the most part, our friendship is a written one, and while I would dearly love to close down a teahouse with her (she might prefer a bar with beer and a rockin’ house band), the value of her friendship is not one whit diminished by the vast space between us.

Is she a soul mate? Maybe. A soul sister, certainly, and likely someone I have known in another time and another place. For whatever reason, we have been separated this time out, yet we managed to find each other despite our differing paths, and perhaps we benefit more from our present circumstance than we would if we resided in the same town. We are each spared proximity to the other’s drama, for one thing, which enables clarity when offering support. And that support comes in writing, to be read and reread as required, wisdom saved for a rainy day or anecdotes to amuse when nothing else is funny.

Matted and framed, this print hangs above my writing desk, a tangible connection to my most perceptive soul sister and a reminder of the conversation begun all those years ago. I’ll sign this one off as Nic herself is wont to sign …

In propinquity,