Rest Day & Reunion! (bg)
Rest days are always a treat, as they give the tired legs and feet a little break. So we were delighted to see Ginger, our cab driver from last night, roll up again to whoosh us 15 miles down the road to the lovely Cross Hands Inn (which proudly displays a plaque in the lobby commemorating when her Majesty The Queen took refuge there during a blizzard in 1981)
But all that was just a warm up to the main event. Today was also the day that my colleague Harriet Bratt and I would finally meet face to face.
Some background: back in the throws of the Pandemic, Clubhouse became a valuable online tool for otherwise physically contained folks to connect. Clubhouse offered “conference rooms” and “club houses” for people of like interests to discuss and learn more about - well, anything - from food, fashion, humor, business - whatever resonated for an individual. The leaders (“hosts”) of the rooms were thought leaders in that particular field, offering opinions and facilitating discussion with guests who would enter the room.
One room was especially close to my heart during that time: The High Achievers club that focused on public speaking skill, and founded and led by Brit, Andy O’Sullivan. It is there where Harriett Bratt and I e-met, along with several other colleagues from around the world - literally - Movell, Ernold and Sharon from the UK, Robb from Philadelphia, and Stephan from Australia. We faithfully convened every week and opened our virtual doors to visitors who wanted to improve their public speaking skills.
Now mind you - Clubhouse was an audio-only online tool, so aside from the occasional Zoom call, we collaborated by voice only. Nonetheless, we all formed a pretty tight bond over those 2+ years.
Cut to present: Michelle and I are posting about our Cotswold trip and Harriett sees the posts and reaches out with “Radio Biiiiiil! Where are you in The Cotswolds? We’re not that far away!!l”
And so:
Harriett and her husband Jim roll in to meet us at our Inn. And what could easily have been a 1 hour “Oh lovely to meet you finally” visit turned into a joyous 6 hour affair with drinks, lunch and into dinner. The conversations were not just reunion gabbing but dove into our families, backgrounds, how we all met, dogs , cats, world politics and on and on - as if we’d known each other for years.
As Michelle and basked in glow of the day, my phone pings with a heartwarming message from Harriet sharing their love for the day and how special it all was.
To which I simply say : THIS is why you travel. To see new places. Chat with new people. And hug and love with old friends, and friends you’ve finally met for the first time.