I wrote at How do I know if it’s intuition or just my mind talking smack? that I’d synchronistically driven into a friend’s driveway just as he was coming out of his door to walk over. We laugh when that happens, as it often does.  He came with me on a noontime ride along the coast.  I like to take what I call “the loop,” driving south on US1 then east across the Wabasso Causeway to AIA.  Then I head north along Highway AIA with the Atlantic Ocean to the right, and the Indian River to the left, until I come to the Hwy 192 Causeway, which I take west to US1 and then south back home.  It’s a different ride with someone along, so we listened to rock and roll and sang and car danced along with it.  We watched the river and the boats, there were very few on the water although it was a warm 70 degrees.  I dropped him off for a family dinner and got into my day.

I spent the next hour in an excellent conversation with a longtime buddy that I’ve known since the early 80’s.  We’ve always been good friends and always had fun together but he was more current events and news oriented and I was more internal, personal growth oriented.  I was not interested in discussing the news and he was not interested in discussing spirituality, so we stayed off those topics and just had fun and superficial talk.  That’s fine.  Friends love each other whether they think alike or not. Friends find topics of interest and fun and stay focused on those.

But this conversation was different.  This conversation immediately had a depth rarely shared.  We have been through a lot together over the years. I met him after a serious accident which left him permanently disabled.  The first few years I’d mention things like, “there’s always a reason things happen,” and “the Universe has a plan.”  These were not well received, so I stopped that years ago.  I figured that he knew where to find my writing online if he was interested in my thoughts.  If he ever asked me a question would be the time to address that.  In our phone call yesterday, though, we had many questions and answers.

I could tell a real awakening had taken place since we last spoke. Our conversation had a depth to it that made my heart feel it was exploding into light inside me.  It’s been a few challenging years for him, separation, divorce, some business failings, some income reversal.  Sometimes that’s what it takes to wake us up and make us consider our life.  It can be important to have a friend mentor you through the awakening process, and it’s my honor to be able to offer that.

Astrologically, he’s going through his second Saturn return.  The Second Saturn Return, in the late fifties, is a time that calls for concrete actions in the real world.  And how do you do that? Priorities need to be clearer, and metaphorical closets and basements cleaned. There is a need to look at what we feel disillusioned about and let the illusions go, lest these old ghosts feed on us and make us bitter. It’s a time to slow down and allow more sweetness and companionship into our lives.  We made a plan to get together this week.

As I was headed out, my longtime friends Doug and Trish Cobb called to wish me a happy Christmas.  When they moved away from next door in 2005, my world changed.  I am always happy to hear from them, they updated me on their family doings and I updated them on mine.  With these two, there are no mundane conversations, every one is a gem of wisdom and insights.

Afterward, I ran out to a friend’s gathering and arrived just in time — after dinner — when everyone began to settle down outside and give their thoughts on the day.  Everyone was in a good mood, stuffed with good food, and good wine had loosened their tongues and not yet fogged their minds.  I love deep conversations about meaningful stuff, especially with people I share history with. What a gift when it happens, they are rare moments to treasure for sure.