You Don't Know What You Have Until It's Gone

"The way that we love anything is to realize that it may be lost." - Chesterton.

Something that the students at Veritas Press haven't seemed to struggle with.

This weekend was probably one of the hardest weekends to bounce back from in awhile.  For the past month or so, I had been looking forward with eager anticipation to the day that I would finally be able to meet a couple of my other classmates from online school.  I have only met a handful of them, and cherish every moment that I get to meet them, so this was yet another chance at enjoying their company.  And I wouldn't have passed it up for well baked cookies.

Like I said before, students that attend school at VP don't struggle with losing something that they didn't know they cherished so much.  We are all so acutely aware of the distance separating us, that we get excited when we realize we are in the same timezone.

So when there is even the slightest chance of being able to meet up, needless to say, we start bouncing off the walls at the opportunity.  And when there is a gathering of hundreds of us at something like the EOYG, we fairly burst with anticipation.  And this past Sunday was no different.

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting Harrison (Harry) and Sarah (Roundup) Buehrle.  (Don't try to pronounce their last name, I remember distinctly trying not to mention it at the table.  I couldn't help pronouncing it as Bueller as in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)  And, by George, was it fantastic.  We met up at Chili's and had a wonderful time.

Now, there are two things that VPer's tend to struggle with when meeting in person for the first time.

1.  Is what we could call the "Five Minute Rule." Which is when we finally meet in person, but it's awkward going for the first five minutes.  You don't know how to handle actually seeing them, and carry on a real life conversation.  So, it can be slightly awkward.

2.  And, then there is the "Handshake/Side Hug/Hug Rule."  As mentioned above, it is awkward when we first meet, and don't know how to greet each other.  Should I give so and so a handshake?.. or a hug?  But would they think that that is too forward?  Ugh.. I don't know.  I'll just go with an awkward side-hug.  Yea.

I was proud of Harry and Sarah in that when we met, we broke both those rules.  We did well.  When we talked about it over lunch, we agreed that there is no time for awkwardness, especially at the EOYG.  We only have a few days together, so we may as well make the best of it.  So, that means full bear hugs and talking right off the greeting.

Abi told me that it looked like that I tackled Harrison when greeting him.  Hope he's okay.

I have already promised my classmates to bear hug them when I first meet them.  I hope that they will keep this in mind when we finally meet.