Sheltering at Home, Week 5
I miss my friend Jean. We are overdue for a hike at Pt. Reyes. I miss my kids. And I’d give anything to be able to scoop up my baby granddaughter and kiss the hair on her head. Do I miss family and friends? Of course. But the thing about family and friends is, you can call them up and chat, and they’ll be glad to hear from you.
You can’t do that with acquaintances. What’s the phone number of the saleswoman at our neighborhood card shop who’s been selling me birthday cards for years? I don’t know her name, let alone her phone number or email address. She doesn’t know my name either. But she knows exactly who I am.
You can call up a friend if you are feeling lonesome. How do you call up the saleslady at the Hallmark store?
I miss my acquaintances. I miss the Zumba ladies at my gym. The short one with freckles, who likes to talk about writing. The redhead, who made me feel at home when I showed up for my first Zumba class ten years ago.
I miss all those people who’s names I have to stop and think to remember, who’s jobs and professions I never quite got a handle on. The people I think of as mere acquaintances. Except, it turns out, they aren’t so mere.
I Miss My Acquaintances — They Were Everywhere
The seamstress at the dry cleaners who’s hemmed more than one pair of pants to fit my on-the-short-side legs. The greeter at my church. The friends of friends at parties. The smart people in my super-sized book group — yes, I might recall what they had to say about “Jude the Obscure,” but, no, they aren’t quite friends.
They’re my acquaintances and I miss them.
I tried turning on the TV to video stream some Zumba classes. Good dancers. Cool moves. Very slick. And they did get me dancing and working up a nice sweat. But I was practically in tears by the end of the first session, grape-vining across the carpeted floor of our den, all by myself. Those splashy dancers were . . . splashy. But they weren’t my Zumba ladies.
They weren’t my — dear to me — acquaintances.
More about friendship at “A Friend’s Garden in Minnesota.” You might like “Retired Is a State of Mind. Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet.” More coronavirus chronicles at Sheltering at Home.
Right on the money, Barbara! (Come back to the CPS zooming book group for some acquaintances!) Next book; Funny Boy, by S Selvadurai.
Linda. I’ve got my (audio) copy of Funny Boy and look forward to “seeing” my wonderful acquaintances.
Nicely said. There has been a lot of time to reflect and think about what we miss in our “normal” day-to-day lives and the many people or places we took for granted. It’s the small things that really add up and make life so grand.
So true. And I greatly miss the presence of the various contractors who were coming and going in our house when construction was active. I’m looking forward to seeing those friendly faces again.
I agree about acquaintances. I’ve been feeling the same way and wonder if they aren’t undervalued. I hope to see you in class when it’s safe again!
I’ve been doing some of the Zoom supported exercise classes arranged by our gym. I recommend them!