Tuesday, August 16, 2016
In the quiet village of Haliburton there lives a pretty little chickadee with big blue eyes and beautiful feathers. She has a heart as wide as the world. Blue eyed chickadee loves to bake pies and make cheesecake and she is a really great reader. She has a best friend who also had a big heart and a great tan. Tanned chickadee loves to dance and make cards. These two happy little chickadees have a friendship that spans more than 30 years. Their friendship is based on 10,000 hours of small talk, no talk, walking quietly, talking about nothing, talking about everything and sharing many adventures with their friends and families. They both have the best families and friends. Blue eyed chickadee and Tanned chickadee have helped each other raise children. They’ve comforted each other in times of sadness and stress. They’ve created so many “Canadian Living” dinners complete with delicious food, wine, fresh flowers, good music and a beautiful view. They easily delight themselves. It’s a friendship that is so deep in their cells it is felt beyond words.
One day Blue eyed chickadee left to go on a long trip to visit her relatives in a far away country. She was so excited to go and Tanned chickadee was so happy for her. She knew Blue eyed chickadee would have many big and great and small adventures and would come back with so many stories that will be told for the rest of their lives. Tanned chickadee watched her pack her bags and organize her snacks for the trip and eventually get into her car and head on her big adventure. Tanned chickadee sent her off with so much love.
Blue eyed chickadee spent a long time on an airplane and landed in a country where they speak another language. She went strongly into her adventure with her family. Tanned chickadee stayed behind and continued to lead her quiet life filled with lots of small and big things. She worked and played and explored and had lots of adventures. She knew she would have many stories to tell her friend when she returned.
Blue eyed chickadee had been gone for about 6 days when Tanned chickadee was home alone one night and it hit her how much she misses her sweet little friend: her cheery phone calls, her little email notes, her good coffee, her offer to share a glass of wine or go for a walk saying nothing, and her invitations to come to dinner saying “just bring yourselves.” It is the quiet companionship that Tanned chickadee misses most of all. It is the 10,000 little moments of kindness and caring that she remembers about her friend.
Blue eyed chickadee will return from her adventure soon and Tanned chickadee has been reminded that she can never take the friends and family that around her for granted. She remembers that it is so important to tell and show them how much she loves them, on a regular basis. And it’s important to say thank you for all the little and big things that they do to make her feel loved, appreciated and important. Tanned chickadee realizes that it is the relationships in her life that make her life rich and meaningful. She might think she wants more money or more fame, but what she really loves and appreciates are the relationships that she has. What a great thing to remember. Tanned chickadee will have some extra snacks ready for Blue eyed chickadee when she comes home. They will have lots to talk about.