The gift of Hello.

So yesterday, I called up my old friends, Gerth and Ulla to say hello. I have not talked to them in awhile and owe them lunch. Who are they, you ask? The story of how I met them is a little strange and may not even be conventional. I met them while working as customer service rep for a cellphone store. They were actually customers of mine 5 or 6 years ago. They would come in my store and ask me questions on how to work their cellphone and simple stuff like how to make a phone call or how to put names in their phone book and I would try to help them in any way I can. So what makes Gerth and Ulla so special? Well, they are a Swedish couple in their 80's and have been married for well over 60 yrs (I think). They have no kids and only have each other. Whenever I see them, it gives me a warm feeling and I think "Now here's a couple who has defied all the odds" and gives me hope that yes, it is possible to have long lasting love amidst the high divorce rates nowadays. The way they still look at each other and interact is so sweet, I always smile when I think of them. We somehow got out of touch after I left that job but in a stroke of fate, I met them again while biking by the beach in Santa Monica a few months ago. How weird is that?? They were trying to put money in their parking meter and somehow was struggling how to do it and I just happened to be cruising by. I had to stop for a minute and just stare at them since I couldn't believe my eyes. I was soooo happy to meet them again that day and I made sure to get their contact numbers this time. The chances of seeing someone twice in Los Angeles randomly is almost next to nothing. I think God may be trying to tell me something here.

Now back to the story: as soon as I identified myself, I could hear the pleasure in Gerth's voice that I called and wanted to say hello. So we arranged to have a lunch date sometime next week. As soon as I hung up the phone, I realized that life really is all about friends and keeping in touch. It makes it easier to bear somehow.