Destiny & my insight into true friends

Do you believe in destiny? Defined by Wikepedia as:

Destiny may be seen either as a fixed sequence of events that is inevitable and unchangeable, or that individuals choose their own destiny by choosing different paths throughout their life.Destiny is fate, fate is destiny.

Yesterday was one of those days that can only be described as destiny in my opinion. An entire circle of events had to happen in the same order that they did for the end result to be present.

I ran into an old friend yesterday. My best friend from junior high school. We bonded in Ms. Sandoe's HomeEc class and our combined lack of talent in the kitchen and sewing station. We had a blast and even had a flour fight once. Ms. Sandoe (believe it or not) made us clean up the flour and put it back in the canister. That was the last time that I ever ate anything we made!

Of all the places to run into someone it was heading out to walk the dike here in Maple Ridge. The dike is an expansive trail system and encompasses part of the Trans Canada Trail. In order to run into her we had to arrive at the exact right time, a couple minutes too many here or there and there wouldn't have been the opportunity to meet up. We usually take an off the beaten path down to the Alouette River and our secret Blackberry patch. So the odds of running into anyone other then in the 2 minutes it takes to get to our trailhead is slim to none (I have only ever seen 1 other group in our travels).

My daycare pick up was a little late, then we headed off to Starbucks (I treated us with some of my saved up Christmas Giftcard). Usually we would be off running but due to the heat we just hung out and drank our beverages. Then me and the girls doddled on over to Shoppers to grab some free stuff (gotta love that). They wouldn't honor the FPC on Splenda though as they're price is substantially higher then the max the manufacturer was willing to pay. So we dropped our stuff off in the car and headed to Save On Foods. Splenda was also too high so no Splenda for my coffee this morning. Headed home dropped off our items (I saved a whopping $33.95 yesterday and spent $2.49!). and then to the dyke.

Running into my friend though reminded me of a conversation on Frugal the other day. I'm not sure if the person as a troll (person who posts to intentially stir the pot and cause drama) or if they really are as truly lacking friends as they imply they are. The person who posted was going on and on about how they made the decision to not marry, have children or friends for that matter to save for retirement. I still cannot believe that anyone would put money above companionship. Even the friends that turn into non-friends still have a significant impact on your life. Every single person you meet in your life changes you in someway, some more then others.

My friend that I ran into yesterday and I have drifted apart but yet it was almost like we still talk and giggle on the phone for hours a day like we did as teenagers. There was no awkwardness. She didn't laugh as so many people do when they hear that my dream is to someday own a Mom and Pop Convenience Store on the highway. It was almost as if that was the exact thing she would have pictured me doing when I grew up.

I looked like a total shlub yesterday, but that doesn't matter, as true friends are I am sure she didn't even notice. I didn't notice what she looked like yesterday either. To me friends are beautiful regardless of what they are wearing or doing.

A friend of mine is on Herbal Magic and its working wonders for her. But to tell you the truth she looked great before the weightloss and looks great now. She is a beautiful person on the inside and there isn't anything that she wouldn't do for her friends. To me that is far more important then belonging in the pages of a fashion magazine.

To me that is what a true friend is. Someone who you have a connection with and it doesn't matter what is on the outside because if you are choosing friends based on their exterior then 99/100 times you're choosing the wrong friend.

Back to the person who has 1million dollars but no friends or family. It truly breaks my heart to think that there are people out there with no friends or family to call upon. How truly lonely she must be. My Auntie went through life and always thought she had no friends. She felt that way until the very end when all of her true friends came out of the woodwork and she was amazed at how many lives she had touched with her generosity and kind spirit.

If I came across a genie who gave me the choice to:

A) have all the money that I could ever need but I had to give up my friends and family and live life on my own forever with no true friends or family

or

B) to have just enough to get by, no more no less, but be wealthy in the companions that will make the life journey with me

I would choose option B in an instant. Love, compassion, a shoulder to cry on, a face to bring a smile to is worth more then all the money in the world to me. I wouldn't trade anyone in my life for any amount of money or fame.