Friendships Last

I have twelve minutes left in this day to try and put down into words what a great day it has been. It is a miracle I am still awake given what I have packed into this day and I wish that I could have a few more hours.
The day started early at my friend Wendy’s house in Pennsylvania. We drove to NYC so we could spend the day together and have dinner with our friend Steve who we went to school with us in France. As Steve texted me tonight after the dinner was over, “It is very rare that three people from one trip 37 years ago would stay such good friends.” I feel like that is the theme of my road trip. I am traveling north and visiting so many of my very favorite people from all parts of my life.    
When Wendy and I finally made it through the Lincoln tunnel I dropped her off a few blocks from Times Square so she could buy us tickets to a play. In the meantime I drove uptown to my matron of honor Suzanne’s house to drop my many suitcases and deposited my car in her garage and set off on foot to meet up with Wendy.
We ate lunch and went to see War Paint the play about the rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. It was a fun way to spend a hot afternoon before we joined Steve. We laughed, ate, told stories and it seemed as if we still were in France together. Parting was not so sad since we seem to be getting better at having these reunions. Next one we need Marty D’Luzansky to join us.
I took the new Second Avenue Line up to Suzanne’s. It’s day two of my trip and my second great reunion. Suzanne is my best friend from college. I was her Maid of honor and she was mine. I love her family like, well better than family. I fell immediately into the familiar pattern of sitting at her dining room table talking with her husband Steve and her daughter Grace, who just graduated from Stanford. There just is not enough time in the day to have all the conversations we start when we are together. I hated having to tell Suzanne and Grace that I had to write this blog and to kick them out of my room. And it is posting late, but it makes little difference when I have had such a fun day. Now I must try and sleep because day three of this trip is not going to be any less full with fun reunions and lots of friends.  
Now that I think about it I don’t think it is so rare that you can stay friends with people you loved at one time. Once you’ve loved them you always love them. The hard part is finding the time to keep up with them. If there is one thing I have learned, it does not matter how long it has been between visits, you just pick right up where you left off.