15 Year Anniversary

A long distance friend pointed out that today is our fifteen year anniversary. Fifteen years ago today I was a kid who knew everything and was going to change the world. Okay, so I have changed pieces of my corner of it, but at the time my goals were considerably more lofty. There was talk of being great. There was talk of huge great.

I have been small great, which turns out to be just fine, but lets get back to that scrawny kid who bears little resemblance to me today.

She answered the phone at her mothers house on that long ago New Years Day to a Canadian boy who she had heard of because her friend Tammy was dating him and had met him through Model U.N. and now he was calling.

Greetings were exchanged. Happy New Year. I am yada de yada. Then I asked out of the box, "Do you think trees have souls?"

This may seem an odd question to ask a stranger in another country. But I was thinking of it because at the time I walked home from school in Jefferson, Ohio. Here the trees are twisted things with funny lumps, almost tumors on the sides. When I had commented to someone (Bobbi? Maybe?) that they looked like tree tumors I had found out that trees indeed did get cancer. If trees could get cancer...

It had started my brain whirring. I had looked at the trees and wondered at their silent watch. They, some of them, had been there for hundreds of years. How many people had sat in their shade? How much tragedy, life had each tree seen?

So it was on my mind and I asked.

This conversation evolved into an engagement and multiple criminal charges ranging from runaway to stolen cars in Jason (call me Jayden)'s and my relationship. We were some kids. We were going to change the world and nothing was going to stop us. Not distance. Not time. Not space.

Today I got a text. "Happy fifteen year anniversary"

I smiled. Wow. Those kids were a long time ago and so far from where we are today. I answered, "Trees have souls! Fifteen years... yeesh."

He came back this morning with, "2010: Do trees have hangovers?"

I smiled again. Well, probably I know someone who does. "Too wise, trees. They wouldn't intentionally poison themselves for social lubrication. Their sex sucks, too. Metaphysical sex is not as fun as real."

I figured that if trees pollinate and have souls perhaps it is some beautiful metaphysical thing... and I thought of real sex. I think I would rather the slide of skin on skin and...

"They come all at once into the air hoping the wind will help them come on an appropriate mate. That's kinky."

I read it and cringed. "Or just messy. Depends on whether you are a male or a female tree. Standing in a shower of... oh, so not kinky."

Well. We aren't the kids who are going to save your world on the upside. We are still talking about trees...

But the conversation has gone down a somewhat different road for quality...

Happy Anniversary Jason James Never Failes.

Love Virg