Tuesday 16 June 2015

In a beautiful land far, far away... (U svetu postoji jedno carstvo)

There is a beautiful land far far away. It is so far away that most people forget it even exists. 
AE Atelier
Only the oldest of maps show its true location. But almost all the maps have faded or long been lost.
The last explorers who went there say that one needs to go over seven seas...
AE Atelier
And over seven hills.
AE Atelier
Be ready to tackle any weather...
AE Atelier
And face the strangest of nights -
AE Atelier
Dreaming tangled dreams.
AE Atelier
Then take the long and winding road...
AE Atelier
That leads through an enchanted forest...
AE Atelier
All the way until the end of the world.
AE Atelier
There board a magical ship...
AE Atelier
And find an entirely new land...
AE Atelier
And a well-hidden secret bay...
AE Atelier
And only when the moon is full a bright road will appear...
AE Atelier
Leading to the top of the mountain...
AE Atelier
With a lighthouse high at its very top.
Shining a light on a world so magical...
AE Atelier
That in its reflection, one learns what is one of life's greatest treasures:
AE Atelier
F r i e n d s h i p.

The long-lost art of real and true friendship. Where no matter the miles nor the years that separate us, nothing ever changes. We are still the 7-year-old girls inventing games. Making maps. Drawing with chalk and water-colours, charcoal and pastels. Writing notes and letters. Celebrating our birthdays together in the fall when school starts because we both happen to be summer babies. We are still 11 and whispering to each other our most sacred secrets in the school yard. Confiding to one another our first crushes (who just happened to also be best friends!). We shared our hopes and our dreams. We made plans so elaborate we had maps and designs for them and we even knew what our homes and beds and pillows would look like one day. We have never fought. Or compared. Or competed. Or gossiped. Or lied. Simply. Never.

The beautiful land far, far away is the land of true friendship - the one that has almost been lost and forgotten in today's world. Its true essence has faded and been hidden behind the mundane, the meaningless and the materialistic, threatened by the insignificant and insecure. Shadowed by "The Bachelor". Tainted by the Kardashian. Convinced that there is not enough for all of us, so that we have to resort to claws and comparisons and competitions. Or adopt being hurtful or mean or conniving. 

Where in the world is your childhood's bestie? How long has it been since you told her how much she meant to you and how sacred your friendship is? How wealthy do you feel that you still have her in your life to talk future, to talk today, and to giggle while reminiscing the past?

Today, I chatted the whole afternoon with my childhood's bestie, just as we did last week. We live on two different continents. I live in a bustling city. She lives in the picturesque countryside. I have sons. She has a daughter. I am a pharmacist. She is an artist. An artist whose art leaves me speechless. Feeling goosebumps. Feeling inspired. And grateful.
And in awe - because somehow we knew this would be a lifelong friendship almost three decades ago. 1976. Grade 1. Special. Beautiful. And like all true and pure female friendships: it is life-prolonging. Best friends forever!  
I love you Aleksandra Erić!
 Priceless!
Aleksandra's entry in my journal 1978





























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