ya never know...

so, i have this great friend, Sousan. she's from Iran (she likes to say she's Persian, it sounds more intriquing). i met her the first month on my current job, nearly 8 years ago. she's my age (oldish) but looks much younger as she has beautiful skin of which i am totally jealous! when i first met her i thought she was french because she has a really cool accent even though she's lived in the US for 40some-odd years. she speaks farsi with her family, hence the accent.

we have basically the same views on life. i was married for 21 years and have 3 kids; she has never been married but had a 7 year 'thing' with 'some guy' many years ago. she does regret never having kids but has a niece she raised from babyhood who may as well be her own daughter. her brother's wife took off when her niece was born. she also has 3 grandnephews and a grandniece, so knows what it's like to be a grandma. we share stories all the time about 'the kids', hers, and my grandson and granddaughter. they all range in age from 1 year to 4ish.

Sousan 'gets it'. it's really difficult to find people who 'get it'. you know what i mean. if you're having a conversation and say something 'off the wall', they just get what you mean.

we absolutely do not spend enough time together, but figure while we can, we need to work, save money for retirement, and play when we can. the problem with being our age and still having to work is we're too tired to play when we do have the time. sometimes we discuss women we work with who are at or near our age and plan to retire when they hit that golden number of 55 or 60 or 62 or whatever that number is for them. they're able to retire either because they had a great job they previously retired from with a tidy sum, or perhaps a spouse who will have a tidy sum at retirement. so, since neither of us had a great job we previously retired from, she never had a spouse, and my spouse turned out to be a louse, we contemplate whether or not we would be up to having a spouse or significant other to depend on for that day. we discuss this often, and generally come to the same conclusion each time; it just wouldn't be worth it.

a few years ago we talked about buying a house together, one we could literally split down the middle and each live in half. that conversation still comes up now and then. it's a do-able idea that may someday come to pass....but for now, we play when we feel like it, and work because we have to...