5 Good Things: The Underrated Green Flags
credit; Robert Rich
Someone who texts you something random just because it reminds them of you.
My bestfriend lives in another state across the country from me. The only time we ever lived in the same place was when we met in college. Throughout our adult lives we’ve managed to stay close, in a more superior connection than I have with the friends who are physically around me. It truly doesn’t matter that we don’t see each other for more than a year or even speak to one another on a regular basis. We share less memories only because we are far apart from one another, but the memories we do have are unmatched from any other friendships. Every now and then I’ll receive a text of a naked Barbie doll, which signifies our undying search for naked Barbie dolls around the world, simple as that. And somehow we keep finding them. It started at some club where across from us on a boxy lounge stool was a naked Barbie doll positioned in a way that she sat up and as if watching us. It stunned us only because why was it there? Did someone bring a child into a nightclub and where are Barbie’s clothes? We took Barbie with us and for a while it became our sisterhood of traveling pants, until I gave it back to her for permanent residence since I was semi-moving to London to get my heart broken by a boyfriend (another story for another day). As far as I know, she still has it in her possession after all these years. And so whenever we see a naked Barbie, we send the picture. I spotted a naked Barbie in a thrift shop in Chicago, where she was just sitting on a shelf next to the $1.75 used mugs. She found a naked Barbie on the beach, which makes sense if her and Ken were into skinny dipping. You would be surprised how often there is a naked Barbie on the street, and more often in thrift stores. But then I wonder, is it just for us? Does naked Barbie symbolize our long distance friendship in some way?
There’s other times where a text will come through from her of a particular signage that at first I don’t understand. Then she’ll reply with only one word and then it makes complete sense to me. Sometimes she’ll text to tell me about something she saw that day and how it reminded her of me. Or a song that she heard on the way to work, she’ll text that our song was playing. People who hold on to little memories are special.
Someone who matches the same walking pace as you.
Growing up in a city means you naturally become a fast walker. You don’t walk aimlessly, your head instinctively swivels like you were born that way and you walk with purpose without looking like a jerk. All that said, my “fast” is just normal city pace. It doesn’t mean I speed walk past people like how it’s portrayed in New York films. There is no actual rat race for the humans by the way, it’s only for the subway rats. City pace walking is just walking. Not from the city walking pace is either two things; walking slow enough for a church procession or you’re walking way too fast because you think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I can’t stand either, but the latter is what annoys me more. I dated this guy who was really tall and from Portland, Oregon not Maine and constantly expressed his frustration at how slow I walked. Each time my response was that I walk normal and that he was the one walking like he was running after the bus. I don’t think I would even know how to walk slowly, perhaps it’s never been ingrained into me. To him, we always had to walk like we were in a rush, even though we were not. He would speed walk ahead of me, stop to turn around and shout to the entire sidewalk how slow I was walking. When in fact he looked like a fool, because he was shouting for one and two - walking too fast is what people notice. The guy I dated after that idiot wasn’t from the city, but he walked with me. We always kept at each other’s pace, which helps when holding hands. It was such an energetic shift from what I had been used to, there was no mocking in the air, only two people who took the time to be with each other. Don’t go for the person who feels the need to rush away from you. Be with someone who can walk with you, slow or fast, whatever pace suits both of you.
