#81- Reunions

I was waiting anxiously at the bus terminal yesterday for my girlfriend to arrive from Paris. I paced up and down the gates, looking out the window every couple seconds in hope of catching a glimpse of an incoming bus. 

And then finally I saw one pulling in and ran to the gate. Through the glass doors and the window of the bus I could see a girl with short, blonde hair that could only mean it was my girlfriend. I pushed through the crowd, almost in slow motion. My only thought was to get to her, to hug her for the first time in two weeks.

I got to the front, my smile growing with every step. As she came out the door she looked up and... it wasn't her. No, it was some other girl and I was standing there, a dopey smile still on my face because my face muscles still hadn't registered what my brain had; this wasn't the bus from Montreal that my girlfriend was on.

Nope, life isn't a Nicholas Sparks book, but the reunion between my girlfriend and I did come, about 20 minutes later, and it didn't matter that there was no corny soundtrack or slow motion run towards each other through the rain or gently swaying tulips in an open meadow. 

What really mattered is that we were together again and that dopey smile was back on my face as we hugged and talked about her trip and laughed while we ate greasy burgers together as a welcome back to North American cuisine. 

What mattered was not how it happened, but that it happened.

I'm sure everyone has had a reunion like that. Maybe not with so much hugging or the smell of diesel fumes spinning around, but one where you felt like the world was a picture hanging slightly off centre and had been straightened up again with the reunion. 

It's always great to see your family again, or friends you haven't talked to in a while or a mentor that shaped your life's path and it's because when you're with those people again everything makes a little more sense, everything seems a little safer and you feel more confident. It's because you have the same memories, a shared history together, through good and bad, which makes you smile or laugh or even just makes you stronger on the inside. It's because being with those people makes you a better person and they feel the same way.

So I am grateful for reunions. I am grateful that I was reunited with my girlfriend yesterday. I am grateful for all those time in a year when I see those I love again after being away and the way my face lights up when we have a reunion. I am grateful that reunions bring people together, even after years of being apart sometimes. And I am grateful that they aren't always fairytale perfect, because that means each one is special in a way, each one is something to reminisce about at the next reunion.     

#77- Calling Cards

I was getting so jealous of my girlfriend being in Paris that I picked up a calling card and dialled her number yesterday in hopes of getting a slight whiff of intoxicating crepe aroma or catching the sound of a man serenading cafe-goers with an accordion.

All I ended up smelling was my running clothes I was too lazy to put away and the sound filling my room was the pesky little squirrel who sits outside my window and yells at odd hours of the day and night.

But the call gave me something much more special than crepe odors and musically inclined Frenchmen. It gave me the chance to talk to my girlfriend and hear about her trip.

It was great to hear the excitement in her voice when she was telling me about seeing the Eiffel Tower or the anticipation as she talked about plans to travel outside the city. Not to mention that it was really helpful to learn how to skip a four hour line and get into the Louvre for free.

And it was all thanks to that calling card I picked up.

The way we can travel now in days has always induced wonder in me. You can fall asleep in one continent and wake up in another. But what is just as amazing is how we can communicate over such large distances, it's like magic. I can pick up a card, any card (as long as it's an international calling card) and be talking to someone thousands of kilometres away as if they were beside me.

This connection brings us closer together than ever before. We can share so many things with people we've never met or those we have known our entire lives. It's an amazing opportunity to learn, to love and to explore and the small card I bought at the corner store down the street is where it all starts.

So I am grateful for calling cards. I am grateful they are a gateway to whole other cultures and experiences a world away. I am grateful they can act as a line to those I care about and that it can be a tool to open up my imagination with their stories. They may not be your typical greeting cards, but they welcome you to a world of possibilities. 

#71- $3.99 Breakfast

As my official title has changed from bright eyed student to unemployed and desperately looking, I can tell you that nothing tastes as good as a free meal. But since I'm not getting too many of those, breakfast for $3.99 comes pretty close.

Today I ventured downtown to a local eatery to have breakfast with my girlfriend. Since she will be traveling to Paris in a few days this will be one of her last chances to eat greasy, fried food before the taste of fresh bread, cheese and street crepes takes over her diet. In an attempt to wrestle with my jealousy, I joined her and was glad I did.

Yes there was plenty of butter, too much bacon (I can't believe I'm writing that) and fried potatoes for miles, but it was delicious. Besides, breakfast is an important meal that gets your metabolism working and your brain firing on all cylinders.

The price was also a draw. I mean how can you go wrong with a $4 meal from a restaurant that doesn't have smiles on the menu or spaceship themed bathrooms? You can't, it's simple logic.

But the price was really just a bonus. Having breakfast with my girlfriend was the best part. Eating meals can sometimes be a lonely endeavor, especially when everyone seems to be at work or traveling to the far reaches of the world. But today I was able to spend some time with someone I love.

So I am grateful for $3.99 breakfasts. I am grateful for the boost it gives me and the delicious nature of home fries and toast. And I am grateful that I could sit down, have some amazing company and enjoy a side of morning sun with my eggs and bacon without it meaning a bounced rent cheque.