Kindred Spirits

What is a kindred spirit?  Kindred spirits are two people who make a special connection by sharing a bond that has joined them by means of experiences that draws them together on a higher level of consciousness. This connection can be from the same experience at the same time or two separate experiences similar in nature.  When 2 people experience dramatic situations, as in our case, the dramatic experience of growing up country, they come to depend on one another as having to rescue each other from the insecurity of not knowing.  They become bonded as kindred spirits and reach and understanding that no one else can truly understand.  I'm blessed to be able to give a little snippet about mine.

My kindred spirit is Kirsten, my best friend for life.  We met when we were in kindergarten and we absolutely loathed one another.  We were both so very different.  At recess she was always chasing the boys around the playground trying to kick them in their nuts while I on the other hand never went to school without my chap-stick and baby powder.  I remember telling her she was mean and boys would never, ever like her if she kept on doing things like that.  Kirsten had an older sister, Sharoll (pronounced Sha-Roll) who was really cool and I envied her. 

Sometimes after school I would take the bus over to Sharoll's to hang out and inevitably Kirsten, the bully, was there. Go figure!  Just then, the worst thing thing ever happened!  Our mother's became friends and I found myself spending more and more time over Kirsten's house. There was simply no way of escaping her.  More times than not her older, cooler sister went out and I was forced to play with Kirsten instead.  Great, I had to be nice to this mean bully who like to shove, kick, wrestle and most of all YELL at the top of her lungs at me.  What was I ever going to do with her?  Could she learn any manners at all?  Could she ever do anything girlie?  These are the questions that plagued my mind.

Kirsten introduced me to her world of horses and I in turn introduced her to my world of water skiing and jelly bracelets.  We bonded.  She taught me how to make Velveeta mac & cheese, oodles of noodles, ride horses and how to climb up into the rafters of her barn where we would hang out, 20 some odd feet off the ground and eat cheeze-whiz.  No crackers, no chips, just our index finger and plain ol' cheese whiz straight from the jar and man was it good!  We made forts together, went swimming, got lost in the woods, took Aunt Linda's paddle boat for a spin, and played veterinarian on all her animals. I think I liked playing vet at her house the best, she had so many awesome animals to poke and prod.  She had dogs, horses and cats.  I loved it.  My favorite dog was Sammy, a cocker spaniel, who used to just chill with us in her room when I slept over.  Kirky, Sammy and the giant Puffalump made the perfect slumber party.  I was no longer interested in hanging out with Kirsten's older, cooler sister I was interested in her.  As time passed we found ourselves inseparable. 

In 5th grade we were in different classes but the 2 classrooms got together to watch the movie "Anne of Green Gables" and the two of us were able to completely identify with the 2 main characters, Anne Shirley and Diana.  Kirsten was the spitting image of Anne--bold, determined, smart, nose always in a book, and she had curly hair to boot.  I on the other hand was Diana, shy, quiet, demur and domestic.  Not too smart but that was alright, cause I'd marry a good man that would be able to take care of me.  Anne & Diana used to call themselves Kindred Spirits and from that point forward so did we.

Perhaps the most notable trait about Kirsten, growing up was her loud mouth and bold attitude. She always took everyone by surprise and she still does.  Kirsten, she has this uncanny ability to tell everyone exactly what she's thinking.  No filters attached, Kirsten just tells you how it is and if you didn't like it, she really does not care.  If you don't like what she has to say then it's your problem not hers.  She's brazen, brave and sometime even abrasive.  She never really cared about what other people thought.  I on the other hand was shy, introverted and often cared too much about what other people thought to speak up. That is, unless I was overcharged for something.  We were truly the odd couple. 

We were so different yet as time passed by we realized that we were more alike than we were different.  Our lives seemed entwined and we shared similar life experiences at the same time which helped us give one another a source of strength and encouragement.  Whether it was the passing of a sibling, the loss of a grandparent, the birth of a child, sickness, buying a house or just complaining about our husbands and mothers we have been there for one another and have trudged through the trenches of life together in a way that very few souls on Earth have. 

We've depended on each other as a source of strength and wisdom when we had no one else.  We have shared laughter, tears and I'm sure a few fist fights.  We keep each other balanced, in-check and are always brutally honest with one another in a way that only kindred spirits can be.  We don't get defensive at what the other has to say rather we appreciate the honest feedback.  We have share much laughter together and  seem to be able to find humor in even the most dire of circumstances.  We lift one another's spirit up.  We have silly, immature nicknames for one another, that we still use. 

No words can express how much love, respect and admiration I feel for my best friend.  She is a woman of duty, pride, grace, athleticism, intelligence, dignity, respect, kindness and playfulness.  She is outspoken and witty.  She is a soldier and a wife.  True to herself and those around her, she is a mother, living by example and I love her deeply.  She's not just a War Hero she is my Hero!  When I got married, I gave Kirsten a ring and engraved inside of the band were the words "Kindred Spirits" for that's what we have been for the past 28 years.