52 weeks of grateful :: the internet

{This post has been sitting in my drafts for a few weeks. Again with the falling off the grateful wagon.}

Milina is happy. A beautiful soul with a radiant smile. You cannot help but smile when you are with her. She moves gently, and slowly, with purpose and patience. She speaks quietly, and kindly. She listens intently.

It would seem we were friends in a former life. We must have been. We came together with ease and little effort, convinced we were living parallel lives. Finding each other on the interwebs through this little blogging biz. I have made many wonderful friends throughout this last year as a blogger. Of course by made, I mean I have never met them in the flesh. But that will soon change. There is a connection, an understanding, a like mindedness for certain things. Milina and I had a connection. The parallel lives made it hard to ignore. Our eldest children are barely a fortnight apart, our babies only a month. We are reading the same chapter, the same page of this mothering book.

We live a one and a half hour drive apart. The first time we met, Milina and the kids came to our place. She knocked on the door and we hugged in the doorway like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. Leading up to that day, I wondered whether we would fit in real life. Or did we just seem to fit in the virtual world? Similarly to how I imagine internet dating would feel. Waiting at the bar, drink in hand, for your Richard Gere lookalike to turn up, only for Richard Simmons to appear. Thankfully, this was not the case. She hugged with intent, with meaning. I'm a hugger. I come from a good line of huggers. Where you wrap your arms around your huggee tightly, and squeeze. I cannot stand the limp hug. Much like the limp handshake. The kids were nervous and excited to meet. Our Rubies took no time to warm up. Milina unpacked food and fruit, homemade soup and banana bread. She helped herself to the fridge and drawers - as an old friend would. We chatted easily - this stranger in my house, for the first time - we chatted easily. We talked and talked, the kids played and warmed to each other. And soon it was time to say goodbye.

We met again for a solo date, if you will. Sharing a love and passion behind the lens, it was so lovely to spend such a mind altering day, with my dear friend. And childless. Childless!

A few weeks ago, it was our turn for a little road trip. We arrived half an hour before midday and left seven hours later. We talked the whole time. About the kid stuff, mum stuff, jobs, dream jobs, and making dream jobs happen, about family, brothers and sisters, gardening, baking, birthing and beyond. We plotted our escape to the sunshine in years to come, both of us longing for warmer winds and the sun on our backs, dreaming of winters where daily beach visits are a reality. We did it all over coffee, homemade scones and cake, over lunch of delicious homemade bread and goodies, over kiddie spills, crumb clean ups, special afternoon tea ice cream and jelly beans. The kids needed no introductions or warm up this time round. We barely saw our Rubies, off in Five Year Old Land, only appearing when they needed to be fed and watered. The rest of the smalls played happily and freely. We met the ladies, and my Ruby and Cole eagerly collected the eggs. They rode the bikes in the clean country air, Remi sniffing closely behind the whole time.

We had intended to head home mid afternoon, to miss the traffic. The afternoon wore on and Milina's husband, Johnny, arrived home. More chatting was had, the clock kept ticking, birth stories were shared, the kids asked for a movie, any farewell attempts were (carelessly) abandoned. Dinner was on the horizon. Johnny was sent for fish and chips. It was so wonderful to meet him, the other half. To read about him through Milina's eyes, and to meet him in the flesh, to see him with his kids, it was really special to see their family unit as a whole. Eliot seemed to agree - he was a sobbing mess when we had to leave, prying him out of Johnny's arms! Possibly the several rounds of ring-a-rosey that did it.

Eliot barely made it to the end of the street before slumber found him. The other two surprising me by talking the whole. way. home. I was sure they would follow Eliot's lead, but the excitement of their day was too much. For the third time in their short lives, they all went to bed fully clothed. Grubby and happy.

This friendship, so strong already, after just a few face to face encounters, all began because of the internet. Something that can cause so much harm, yet do so much good. Lifelong friends have been brought together by chance, in that enormous, buzzing bubble that is, the internet. And for that, I am grateful.