I've been reading several books since I've been traveling. The one I read today was Lightning Field, by Dana Spiotta. An excerpt below immediately made me think of my dear friend, Kathy Krafcik.
"I wish you were here. If you were here now, I would tell you there are people who with the tiniest kindnesses can save your life, and if we understood that, just the extraordinary effect of the measliest attempts to comfort each other, even just that, we might lead very different lives".
Kathy Krafcik is one of my long time friends. She is someone who has known me since I was a dorky teenager teaching her daughter, Molly, to dance. No matter where I’ve lived she has remained a constant snail mail contact. I always get excited when I receive her written letters, knowing her signature KK will be written at the end. I met Kathy and her husband John when I was 15; I was a newbie to teaching ballet and somehow they trusted me with their daughter’s training. Over the years, they would keep in touch—whether it be in New York (we had such fun sightseeing, getting lost looking for a piano museum for John and eating Indian food at the Rose of India) or in Roseville (where Kathy will drive anywhere to meet me and sit for coffee) we always have a delightful time together.
"I wish you were here. If you were here now, I would tell you there are people who with the tiniest kindnesses can save your life, and if we understood that, just the extraordinary effect of the measliest attempts to comfort each other, even just that, we might lead very different lives".
Kathy Krafcik is one of my long time friends. She is someone who has known me since I was a dorky teenager teaching her daughter, Molly, to dance. No matter where I’ve lived she has remained a constant snail mail contact. I always get excited when I receive her written letters, knowing her signature KK will be written at the end. I met Kathy and her husband John when I was 15; I was a newbie to teaching ballet and somehow they trusted me with their daughter’s training. Over the years, they would keep in touch—whether it be in New York (we had such fun sightseeing, getting lost looking for a piano museum for John and eating Indian food at the Rose of India) or in Roseville (where Kathy will drive anywhere to meet me and sit for coffee) we always have a delightful time together.
She has seen me through the rough patches of life and celebrated my accomplishments, small and large. She is the person who inspired this trip I’m on. She has always been an avid traveler and goes on a trip every year, typically to a new place. She first put the bug in my ear to go to Tahiti—she and John had been there and they loved it. My three weeks spent in Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Huahini sure did not disappoint. She has a group of women that travel to a new place every year—their dedication to each other and seeking new places always inspires me.
She has always encouraged me to travel and has not only been supportive of my adventures, but she is such a wealth of information. She has a knack for remembering exactly where she stayed, ate, sights she saw—every detail of her travels. When I got this last minute hair brained idea that I wanted to take a solo trip, I immediately thought of Kathy. She has been to Bali twice and also visited Thailand. When I mentioned it to her, she immediately emailed me places to stay and personal contacts for drivers, hotels, flights, airline providers and off the beaten path sights. I am so grateful to her for this.
I admire her for so many reasons. She has an unyielding optimism that pervades every interaction. She is a fountain of positive energy and always has a smile on her face. She is an amazing, supportive, loving mother who is willing to let Molly make her own life (and in the meantime has taken her on some kick ass vacations!). She is always so thoughtful and never fails to mail me a gift from her travels—my beloved scarves that she sends inspire me every time wear them and her many letters fill my secret snail mail drawer.
Kathy, you are truly a woman of beauty and strength. I hope that my life will be as rich and full as yours has been. I thank you for being such an integral part of my travel experiences. I thank you for your endless emails and answers to all my annoying questions. I thank you for continuing to reach out during the hardest moments of your life. I thank you for always caring about me and asking about my family; sitting across from you munching on popcorn and drinking tea was one of my favorite visits. Thanks for being there through all the heartbreaks. Thank you for giving me a belief, through your love and devotion to John, that although love is never perfect, it is possible. I miss him dearly. I also miss you and Molly as well and always look forward to a visit when I'm with my family. Thank you for continuing to be such a blessing in my life. Thank you for not letting time or distance keep us from remaining friends. I have thought of you often on this travel adventure and every day I think of you being here, enjoying the same sights, sounds, tastes—and it makes me happy to know we have these shared memories, years apart and yet they bring me closer to you. Thank you for being you Kathy. You are wonderful.
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| the beach in Koh Samui you love so much. |
