I met Shabnam when were both 10ish in the fifth grade.
We spent almost every day together for the next 7 years…until she left Kuwait to go to college.
We met each other a couple of times in our 20s.
Then our lives took very different paths and we lost track of each other for a hot minute…we always managed to keep in touch.
Oddly enough…we found ourselves in Thailand at the same time in 2008…about 20 years since our last meeting.
She had come there for her nephews wedding and I was there on our usual yearly pilgrimage.
A very unexplainably random meeting…
She lived in India at that time…I lived in Ohio and we happened to be in Thailand at the same.
Imagine THAT!
It was another 15 years later she decided to swim across the Atlantic to come see me and her other relatives.
Meeting Shabnam again was a reminder of who I used to be…who I am and who I will always be.
I can be my authentic self with her…and she with me.
Her life story leaves me in awe of her resilience and compassion for others.
A true inspiration…and what I aspire to encompass in this lifetime.
For me the 3 days we spent together was worth it’s weight in gold.
This long awaited reunion was a pleasure and a pure treasure.
Until our next meeting ❤️❤️❤️
