She Tracked me Down

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

I married Julia in February. By April I was gone. 4 months later she found me.

She Lets me Go

Sometimes when I ramble, Julia joins me.

Last fall Julia and I rode from our farm in western North Carolina to Virginia and back. I documented the journey in the Ride out the Front Gate section of RiverEarth.com. Julia wrote of her experience on her Saddle Under the Stars blog.

Julia has sat out my present trip. She writes about her decision to stay here in Not Going This Time.

Still, we’re man and wife. Sure we catch up on the phone a few times per week. But there’s a danger in being physically apart too long. We’ve talked about this. About how, if two people who live apart stay apart too long, the divide can turn in to a chasm, no matter how many letters you write, no matter how often you call home.

At some point, bodies need hugging and lips need kissing. Eyes need looking in to and hands need to be held.

Which is why this week Julia flew out west to find me.

Catching Up

Julia found me in Hyannis, Nebraska. She arrived Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning we were headed out looking for bulls. Looking for bulls with 2 cowboys who didn’t mind if we tagged along.

This is the beauty of allowing serendipity (aka, where the hell are Julia and I going to stay for a week?) in to your life.

Tomorrow’s post explains how our search for a place to stay was the magic sauce that opened experiences we could have never pre-planned.

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