Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Today I had lunch with my Buddhist swim buddy.  We don't see each other that frequently, but when we do we discover we've been thinking about similar things.  I was telling her I was missing not laughing as much as I used to and she said she and her Israeli friend had been discussing that very thing.  My friend believes at our age we are "sober".  We see clearly and that view dissolves a lot of the kind of laughter that bubbled up when we were perhaps less "awake".  We laugh, but not so often and usually only at ourselves and our expectations and predictability.  When she said that, suddenly, I no longer thought anything was wrong with me.  I'm simply on a different part of the journey.  There was nothing to fix after all.  My friend has that ability to set me straight and share experiences in a way that is soothing.  I trust her completely.  I believe that 100% of the time she has my welfare in mind and sees who I truly am.  It's a blessing.  We finish each other's thoughts, and share the loss of our brothers and the deep concern for our families.  We are on the path together.  How comforting!