Naming My Kayak For A Lost Friend

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As you know by now if you follow my blog, my posts usually have a lot of humor in them.  I like to laugh.  Life is so short that we need to seize every single day and make the most of it! Find something to be happy about and laugh about every day!  We never know what life will throw our way!

So I just set this post up right there!👆

I recently bought a long desired kayak.  I've been kayaking for about three years now. I absolutely love the peace out there on the lake!  I don't do rivers or fast waters.  This is all about relaxation for me.   My granddaughter Emily and I love to watch the sun rise over the lake on our yearly vacation.  I kayak with all of my Punkins, my daughter-in-law,  and numerous friends.  So buying one was the highlight of my week last week!

So I've been thinking that I should name her....yes, her.  She's female...of course!  With my sense of humor, I  have been thinking of names like "Wild Granny", a play on Crazy Mimi, my name from my Punkins, or Sassy Sister, or another funny name.

But a name from my childhood keeps coming back to me....over and over....
Let me tell you a little story!

When I was growing up,  I had a best friend who lived just a short rural distance from me.  We would ride our bikes halfway and meet and talk, we would spend nights at each other's houses, and we were "thick as thieves" as that old phrase goes.  
One Summer, we set up a little place in her back yard where we told fortunes, read palms, etc.  We thought we were so cool! So we named ourselves  Madame Regnavance and Gypsy Hoola.  Ok...we were like 10 or 12.  Cut me some slack! Those names have stayed with me all my life.  I will never forget them, or that Summer. 
Polly was my friend's name.  We were set up to be roommates at the college we were both accepted into...until I decided to get married instead.  So she went on to college,  became a teacher, married,  and had an adorable little boy.  One night when we were in our twenties, I got the most horrible phone call ever.  Polly, her husband,  and their 10 month old son were killed in a terrible accident. My Gypsy Hoola was gone. 

I will never forget her.  I remember thinking that she is the one person who knew ALL my secrets!  She knew everything.  

I have flowers at my house that I planted with tears streaming down my face. They were planted a day after their funeral. Every time I see them blooming I think of her.

I have used Gypsy Hoola as a password for years for things. ( I don't anymore so don't try...)

I have kept in touch with her Mom and brother through the years.  Her Mom tutored Ryan all through his school years.  It was nice to stay close....nice for her Mom and Me.

There are some things you just never "get over".  Losing a friend at a young age is one of those things.  

So I am naming my kayak Gypsy Hoola.  Naming it for Polly, and because it fits.  It just fits.


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