A Posse

A Posse rode into town this week.

Quite unexpectedly, my reserved seat on the Carousel of Life hit a bump nearly catapulting me into an unexpected descent.

There was no time to contact my beloved ones so they could come to my aid. Somehow, however, the tom toms began to beat alerting my own indispensable Posse.

They are not grizzled, nor do they carry shotguns or ride galloping horses. They have no saddle bags nor beards. Nor are they nicknamed Buffalo, Calamity or Deadwood.

Instead they are all beautifully coiffed, immaculately groomed and their purses are either Coach or Longchamp. Their names are mundane, Kay, Alice, Mary, Hilda, Jackie, Rose and Ellen, and I doubt if any of them ever rode horses, but, of course, anything is possible.

Because we are not lifelong friends. We did not grow up in the same neighborhood nor attend the same churches or schools. Some of us worship on Sunday; others on Saturday, and we courteously and consistently differ on politics.

Ironically, our paths crossed randomly in the years when our lives all changed. Children left, loved ones moved to a better place, and rather than settle for loneliness we chose independence as a far better word to describe life.

When the Carousel hit the unexpected curve, I needed friendship desperately. Ironically, I don’t believe any of the Posse even know each other’s last names or addresses. Still, somehow, without alerting me they were in contact, and I immediately was surrounded with a companion on my various unexpected appointments.

I have often remembered the words of Tennessee Williams concerning the kindness of strangers. This week it became my mantra.

However, the members of my Posse are not strangers. Rather they are beloved companions who are accompanying me on this new path of life. We have shared each other’s traveling adventures, shopping expeditions, theatre junkets, and also the joy of births, weddings and family visits.

We have laughed together, and wept when their Carousel has come to an unexpected roadblock. I wonder, however, if I have been completely aware of how vital it is to have a Posse ride into town when your own world is disrupted. I believe the lesson I have learned this week is to immediately renew my lifetime membership in the Posse and say a silent prayer that everyone I know and love has one too.