Today, Tom was supposed to have the first step of his dental implants. Yesterday, we received a message that his appointment had to be moved to next Thursday when the product came in and wasn’t made to meet Tom’s criteria. We’d planned a low-key weekend since we anticipated he might be feeling some discomfort after the procedure.
Our only plans for the weekend are for dinner tonight at Jabula with Kathy and Don when Tom insisted he didn’t want to miss our usual Friday night dinner out. Without the appointment today, we’ll be able to relax and enjoy another evening out.
Last night, we met a new couple from the US that Louise had referred to us, Dorthy and Arthur, a lovely couple with considerable world travel experience who now live in Curacoa, an island in the Caribbean that we’ve visited a few times during the past cruises. They’ve been to Marloth Park many times over the years and, like others, like us, can’t seem to stay away for too long.
The conversation flowed easily while we sat at a table in the Giraffe Cafe, now a part of Phumula Lodge and Restaurant. We each ordered some food. Tom had chicken schnitzel on a bed of cooked spinach with chips (fries) on the side he enjoyed. I had a grilled chicken salad, but the chicken was overcooked and dry. When we got home, I was still hungry and had a can of tuna, topped with mustard and homemade ketchup, befitting my eating method.
Dorthy (spelled correctly) and Arthur shared a starter (appetizer) basket that was so huge; they didn’t order an entree.
It’s always delightful to meet new people. Some new relationships stick to eventually becoming lifelong friends, while others are pleasant encounters along the way in life. Defining the characteristics that inspire lifelong relationships with other couples is challenging to analyze.
Many relationships develop out of convenience, while others stem from a strong foundation of common interests and personality traits. This also seems to be true when making friends one-on-one or developing love relationships between a couple.
Tom and I often laugh about how different we are and how ridiculous it was that we have managed to have this extraordinary relationship. Over the years, we’ve adapted and even embraced each other’s differences, and now they are less glaring and obvious. But, what was it that initially set us on a path to learn more about one another? Surely, it was the attraction.
With couples meeting other couples, there seems to be an attraction of another sort that makes us feel comfortable, laughing easily and sharing some degree of similar lifestyles. And yet, with all of those components in place, some encounters don’t grow into lifelong friendships.
We are fortunate. Over our 30 plus years together, we have made relationships with other couples and individuals that we know will always be with us in spirit, if not in person. Many of those relationships that we each cultivated before Tom and I met still hold today.
Now, as we continue in our world travels, we seem to connect the most with couples we know we may see again sometime in the future. When meeting people on a typical holiday (vacation) with an unlikeliness of ever meeting up again, we tend to shy away from making an effort to build those types of relationships during such short periods.
We’ve made wonderful friends on cruises whom we know; eventually, we’ll see each other again in the future. For us, traveling the world has been an excellent means of making new friends, some for right now and others forever.
Be social. It enriches life in indescribable ways.
Photo from one year ago today, November 5, 2020:
No photos were posted one year ago. But, here is the link from the post we uploaded on day #227 while in lockdown in Mumbai, India.