REMARKABLE!

Blogging.  It should be an Olympic sport.  It takes a lot of time and effort, practice and drafting as well as creativity.  But the benefits never cease to amaze me.

It feels good sometimes, to get things off my mind.  Often my feelings or thinking get validated with comments from people in similar life circumstances.  What began as mostly situations dealing with being a new widow has morphed into daily life.  A lot of things happen to me due to the death of Mr. Ralph.  (I just miss him so much.)

But yesterday serendipity bounced right into my day!  

I learned of the blog "Time Goes By" from one of my favorite widow blogs (The Misadventures of Widowhood).  It is always interesting to me so I subscribe.  I think I mentioned this winter when the blogger posted a snowy picture from outside her condo ... it looked a LOT like my condo in Lake Oswego.  In a private email, I asked her ... and yup!  She lives here.  We had a tiny e-chat and said lets get together for coffee when I return to Oregon.

Before I could be bold enough to ask her to coffee (I don't want to seem like some blogger stalker ...), she had some posts about Villages and when I learned she was involved in helping to start one in our town ... I emailed her my interest in volunteering as well.  She was very responsive (I think maybe her laptop is permanently attached to her legs as well).  I'm on the mailing list to attend the next meeting.  Also on her blog was a link to the movie Cyber Senior.

Which happened to be showing in our little local theater a few blocks from me.  I met a friend for lunch then walked over to watch.  (The theater is more like a restaurant but more on that in another blog).  The room had tables of four tightly packed together with very few open seats.  I asked a beautiful white haired lady with a stunning hat (I've always wished I could pull that look off!) if the seat next to her was open.  We chatted a bit.  Then she introduced herself as Ronnie.  I told her who I was which amazed both of us!  That we would meet in person at the movies!

We watched the movie (adequate but not spectacular ... maybe a blog on that one) but she wanted to stay after for the discussion.  Since I wasn't that impressed, and I had been out all afternoon, I started walking home.  Within minutes there was a little tap on my arm and we walked home together.

She invited me to see her condo (I am obsessed with seeing how others decorate and arrange furniture and how they live in their space).  Then I had her over to see mine.

Now I have a friend in real life as well as cyber space!