Sunday, December 28, 2003

wish you were here



years ago, when i was working my way through college, and living in a delightful little flat on west moira street in belleville, ontario, i maintained dedicated correspondences with friends and aquaintances the world over.
and sometimes, taking my lunch break with colleagues in the cozy grill on front street, i would look up from my chips and gravy and see my regular postman rocking impatiently on his heels beside my booth.
"oh hi!" i would exclaim, " do i have mail?"
"a postcard," he would reply.
"from spain," he would add.
"oh?" (this was always the best bit.)
"from james and zenis. they're doing fine. they saw the hanging town of cuenca. oh, and the foldaway bullring at chinchon. they tried some drink called horchata. but they're having trouble with their rental car..."
"oh," i would smile, "bummer.."
"hmmm." and he'd be gone.
my companions would always be aghast at his presumption.
i relished his revelations: they were a perfect example of how exquisitely intimate the wide world could be, and how a few warm words from far away could brighten two persons' days at once.

9 comments:

  1. Lynn, each one of your entries is like getting a postcard - even if I'm like the mail carrier eavesdropping on your day.

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  2. If the curtain is pulled aside, it wouldn't be human not to take a peak :)

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  3. *grin*
    Lynn, you would be astounded how frequently you brighten my day.

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  4. Mark is right - your entries ARE like a postcard. :) What a nice, warming story this one is!
    And I wish I was there, too!

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  5. Lynn, you sweet woman you, thanks for splashing my glum days with so much color.
    Happy Holidays. Have a fantastic New Year. That's an order.

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  6. Go to your downloadfacilities and search for `Wish you where here1` from Pink Floyd (Live Acoustic Version). You won`t regret it.

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  7. Belleville, Ontario is a short two hours from where I live. When I took the VIA train from Oshawa to Montreal I would love it when the automated voice would say Belleville with a french accent in the role call of station stops. It's great to find out someone from such a beautiful country has lived in mine and knows a bit about it.

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