Yesterday I had lunch with Cindy, whom I had never met before. We have a mutual friend in Eau Claire who gave Cindy my address when we moved to Rhinelander. She sent me a card to welcome me to the area, and after a couple phone calls we made plans to meet for lunch.
Meeting a stranger for a meal is kind of like a blind date, without the stress of worrying I'll be cute enough. But there's still the fear of having nothing to say but awkward small talk, having little in common, or getting something caught in my front teeth.
Fortunately none of those things happened. At times our conversation was so lively that I noticed other people in the small cafe listening in. (especially one guy when I was talking about the Harley!) Cindy and I both attended UW-Eau Claire, were teachers, have kids and grandkids, like walking and reading, and are afraid of heights and meeting up with a bear on our walks. You get the idea...there was no shortage of things to talk about. We plan to meet again soon to go walking and share books we've enjoyed.
Does hitting it off with someone new come more easily the older we get? Or do we just click with certain people? It's probably a little of both. I think at our age, we care less about making impressions and just enjoy the moment--and we're lucky when we make a connection that has the potential for friendship. I've had friends who were/are in their 70s and 80s, and others who are in their 20s and 30s; friends I see regularly and others I know solely through e-mails and letters. The link is obviously not based on chronological compatibility or proximity, but rather a connection between outlooks, humor, and hearts.
It's comforting to know that we can leave the familiar, move to new places, and there are still friends out there we just haven't met yet.
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L.M. Montgomery's theory on Kindred Spirits has explained it for me all along. We are more attracted to those who live with similar spirits. How? Why? Those I can't answer. : )
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