Eagles

Lone wolf? Eagle (as in, “Eagles don’t flock…”)? I don’t know what metaphor to apply to the independent soul without a connotation of the extreme. I’m not referring to those who are antisocial and/or reclusive, or who have been relegated to pariah status. Just the people who are independent and self-sustaining, but are still functional in groups when there’s a call for it. But, I believe they feel most comfortable with their own kind, where little is asked or given. And, they can detect kindred spirits.

I was out with an eagle last night and we stopped at one of the ice cream stores that caters to aficionados. As we were enjoying the exquisite fare, she noticed a woman who had come in and stood at the counter. She elbowed me and said, “That’s Colleen.” It was her typical antecedent-free style, but before I could ask who Colleen was, she was up and moving toward her.

They returned and I was introduced to Colleen who was a former neighbor of my date. They had kept in touch over the years, at least until recently. So, the topic was getting caught up.

My initial impression of Colleen was of someone who took care of herself and deftly chose her wardrobe. As she held forth with her updates, I added intelligent, articulate, confident, balanced and upbeat. A bit of a mirror image of my companion, and I didn’t think their affiliation was coincidence.

Colleen had retired and was partaking of cultural events and traveling quite often. And, she was frequently doing it alone and very comfortable with that. I sensed an eagle.

I asked how they had lost touch. Colleen explained that she had corresponded through her computer and phone at work, prior to her retirement. She has no computer at home and the answering machine there broke down years ago.

I asked if she had a cell phone. She pulled an “antique” out of her handbag. It was about the size of a banana and wasn’t powered up. She said she turned it on only when she really needed to reach someone at that moment.

I knew that this was no ordinary eagle. I was in the presence of greatness.