Reunited...And It Feels So Good

The Subtle Art Of Picking Up Where We Left Off

Last night, I had dinner and drinks with a new friend in North Hollywood. We shared stories over a platter of nachos, quesadillas, flautas, and taquitos before heading down the street to The Bullet, where they were hosting a bear happy hour.

The last time I set foot in that bar was at least fifteen years ago. Maybe more.

Long enough that it felt a little surreal, like stepping into a memory that didn’t quite belong to me anymore. But my new friend is a regular, so I got to see it through his eyes. Familiar to him. Brand new, in a way, to me.

And then, in one of those small-world moments that seem to happen all the time here in the City of Angels, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in at least a decade.

While we’ve never been the closest of friends, Jason is someone I’ve always liked and respected. Over the years, we shared holidays and meals together. From my point of view we’ve always had an easy, breezy kind of friendship. So I lit up like a Christmas tree when I saw him out on the patio.

As luck would have it, my new friend and my old friend are friends too.

I love when that happens. When relationships and timelines overlap. When the past and present collide without any effort on my part. Serendipity and synchronicity for the win!

My new friend and I joined Jason at a table and were quickly introduced to a small, woofy group of guys, a mix of locals and one gentle giant from Australia.

I’m 6’4” and built like a fluffy refrigerator, but this guy made me feel…dainty. And honestly, I didn’t hate it. I also didn’t hate his Aussie accent or chill attitude.

Yay for new friends. Yay for old friends.

What I love most about old friends is how easily you can pick up where you left off with each other. No long explanations. No need to account for every missing year. Just a quick recalibration, and suddenly you’re back to catching up on old times.

The subtle art of reunions involves realizing that not every connection needs constant tending to remain meaningful. I think of some friends as bookmarks. Even if you close the book, even if life moves on, and even if chapters stack up, when you eventually get the band back together, you’re able to pick up right where you left off.

This weekend, I’ll be stepping into another similar scenario.

Sunday, I’ll be attending a “celebration of life” for my dear friend and colleague Abby, who passed back in January.

Based on the guest list, I’ll be seeing more than a dozen former coworkers. Some I haven’t seen since we worked side by side years ago. And yet, I already have a good feeling about how it will go.

There will be moments of recognition. Maybe a double take or two. Some hugs that are genuine and some that are performative. And just like that, we’ll find our footing again.

Not in spite of the time that’s passed, but because of everything we shared during it.

It’s a bittersweet kind of reunion. Shaped by loss, yes. But also by memory. By history. By the simple fact that someone we cared about brought us together once again.

Knowing Miss Abby, she won’t just be smiling down at all of us. She will be stirring the pot a little too. Because not everyone on the guest list liked each other back when we all worked together. Chances are some probably still don’t.

Which somehow makes it all the more human.

We’ll laugh. We’ll cry. We’ll reminisce. Maybe side-eye each other a little. And through it all, we’ll do what people have always done when brought back together by someone they loved: We’ll pick up where we left off.

Messy, imperfect, and a little complicated.
Exactly as it should be. Exactly as we are.

Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

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BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY

• 03-20 = Dominique Jackson (1975- ) = American actor and activist 🌈

• 03-20 = Gavin Arthur (1901-1972) = American astrologer and sexologist 🌈

• 03-20 = Gerard Malanga (1943- ) = American poet and photographer 🌈

• 03-20 = Jan Cina (1988- ) = Czech actor 🌈

• 03-20 = Lauritz Melchior (1890-1973) = Danish-American opera singer 🌈

• 03-20 = Murray Bartlett (1971- ) = Australian actor 🌈

• 03-20 = Ovid (43 BC - 17 BC) = Roman poet 🌈

• 03-20 = Ronni Sanlo (1948- ) = American playwrights and author 🌈

• 03-20 = Ruby Rose (1986- ) = Australian actor, tv presenter, and model 🌈

• 03-20 = Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1972) = American singer-songwriter 🌈

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MAN CRUSH(ES) OF THE DAY

GERARD MALANGA

“Be happy in what you do. Be respectful of yourself. Do good works for others, and the goodness will come back to you and make you a better person. I think that’s what happiness is all about.”
Gerard Malanga

MURRAY BARTLETT

“No person and no character is beyond redemption, ultimately. That’s the great thing about playing a character that has kind of a dark side; there’s room to explore the opposite.”
Murray Bartlett