Tuesday Be My Friend

Today I spent the greatest day with Ben, one of my favorite friends in the world.
We didn't do anything special, just hung out in Starkville, had a great lunch and enjoyed a little afternoon coffee (and of course talked and laughed non-stop...), but the simplicity of the day is what made it so great.
Considering the distance between New York, New York, and Starkville, Mississippi, Ben and I have seen each other a good number of times since he moved in July of 2007. It seems, however, that every time we see each other there's a lot going on. We're trying to see the sights of New York; he's trying to meet up with every old friend he ever spoke to during his time at Mississippi State in one football game weekend; he's running back and forth between family and friend gatherings all over south Mississippi during holiday visits. Although we always have millions of laughs, things are often hectic and stressed.
Hence the beauty of this visit.
It had no plan; it had no agenda. We had the whole day to fill and no schedule to fill it. It was wonderful. It was almost like one of the hundreds of days we spent lounging around during college, and I think that's why I enjoyed today so very much. I took those laid back days for granted during that time, without even realizing how different my life would be in the not-so-distant future. Today was a throw-back to those carefree afternoons, putting the real world of jobs and higher education on hold for a little while and lazing around Starkville, a place that holds so many amazing memories for both of us.
It was so great to get to really talk and relax and see where the day took us. I know we can never go back to the way things were during our time in college, for it was a different time and life is different now, but, just for today, it was nice to pretend nothing in the world had changed.