Mourning the Loss of a Good, Dear Friend...

Today is a sad, sad day for me.   I have experienced the loss of a dear friend, one who has shared my most cherished moments.  Someone who has been around for but a short while, not yet a year, but in that time we've grown very close, and I've come to depend upon this special someone.  Have you ever had someone in your life that you relied upon, someone you knew you could count on, no matter what?  Someone that was always there?  For every birthday, every holiday, every smile, every funny face or silly/ goofy moment?  Someone who you allowed to see the REAL you, flaws and all.   This someone was that someone for me.  

He really had seen me at my best and at my worst.  And even without makeup!  He was there to witness all the important, meaningful moments in my life this past year!  I just can't believe he's gone!  I never knew life until I had experienced it through his eyes.  He brought out a creative side of me I never knew I had, until I met him.  And now he's gone.

It started as a simple acquaintance.  I'd seen him just before Christmas in the bustle of Christmas shopping.  I made the first move- (that is SO not like me!), and we hit it off right away.  It was an easy friendship, and we'd get together every now and then.  I didn't want to give him the impression that I was obsessive, and I'll be honest- he could be a bit clicky.  But he overlooked my faults and I happily overlooked his.  To be honest we were perfect for each other.  He wasn't capable of a long term relationship- he just wasn't made for one, and I was hoping to find someone who I could spend some time with, you know, like at family get-togethers or just to hang out with.  After a while I realized that I really liked having him around, and we saw each other quite frequently: everyday, sometimes several times a day.  No matter what was going on, he was there for me.  I came to depend on his being there, supporting me, experiencing life with me.  Sadly, I took our friendship for granted.  Now I don't think I'll ever have the chance to tell him all that he meant to me.   

Today, when I reached out to him, as I've come to rely on doing, he wasn't there.  Well, he was there, but... man this is hard- he just had this blank stare, like he wasn't really there anymore.  He was just a shell, that which made him- special,  was gone.  All that remained was a cold, hard exterior.  Not at all the someone I had come to know and cherish.  According to the specialists, there could be a bit of hope that he could return to be with me, and continue our friendship.  I would love for that to be true, but I'm also realistic.  Even if he can snap out of this and go back to the someone I know and love, it will be a long and lengthy recovery.  It could takes weeks or even a month for him to fully recover.  And then, and only then, if there's no other choice, then I will have to say goodbye, and accept that it is time to move on.  The only upside to this emotionally draining situation is that I might just get a brand new someone out of this experience!  

OK- incase you hadn't guessed it yet- the someone I've been referring to is my beloved Nikon CoolPix Camera.  Today it called it quits.  I have mixed feelings over this, but thankfully I purchased the extended warrantee for the little guy, and the nice people over at Ritz Camera will be sending him off to the Nikon Hospital to be looked at.  If he can't be fixed then they will issue me a new little buddy, but either way I'm going to be without my camera for the next few weeks.  That's the part that stinks!  I literally use this thing EVERY DAY!  It captures all the funny, crazy, cutesy things the kids do each and every day.  I do have another camera.  A pretty nice one, in fact, but the convenience, and portability of My Ni just can't be beat.  I've even written him a little ditty to show my devotion and appreciation of all that he has done for me over the past 11 months.  I'll share a line of it with you as a tribute to our friendship: 

 "Nothing you could say could tear me away from My Ni! My Ni!  There's nothing you could do, cause I'm stuck like glue to My Ni!  My Ni!" 

Ok!  OK!  I ripped that off from Mary Wells, but it fits.  And I'm mourning- so cut me some slack!

In closing, I'll leave you with a final picture of the one who brought so many other pictures into my life.  Hopefully there will be many more pictures to share in the future.  (And hopefully it won't be a too distant future!)

 

"My Ni"-broken, and battered, but well loved!

 

Be Good and God bless!

P.S. Meg, now I can say that I know how you felt a few months ago!  It's just so hard...