I said, see you later to a friend today.  I hadn’t known this particular friend too long, but he was with me every day for 12 years.  He shared the kitchen table with me as I drank coffee and pondered the day ahead.  In the beginning, while life was hectic with kids, he didn’t get much attention.  Oh, sometimes I’d look at him in the evening but not too often.  Yet, he was still there for me.  His insights were many.  He shared inspirational and funny stories, local sports, news, obituaries and weather.  He always kept me connected to my local community.

Now, I have more time to spend time with him.  But unfortunately, he’s changed.  He does not visit me consistently.  His lack of interest in me is disconcerting and disappointing.

You can call me old fashioned or traditional, but I love getting a newspaper.  Growing up in La Mesa, CA, my parents took the San Diego Union Tribune as long as I could remember.  Back then, I was much more interested in the paper boys then the paper.  I even went to the senior prom with one of those boys.  This love began at home and didn’t change through the years or the moves.

After the Union Tribune, there was the Fresno Bee in Fresno and the Washington Post in Virginia.  In Riverside, we decided we needed lots of news, so we subscribed to the local Press Enterprise and the Los Angeles Times.  Then back to Maryland, where we took the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post.  Which was really crazy considering the kids were just babies.  Still, I read those papers when I could find the time.

I’ve held tight to the newspaper delivery tradition even as I’ve been tempted to read the many excellent on line newspapers.  I’m not sure that anything will ever replicate the feel of a paper and the ability to take it anywhere from your kitchen to the car, to the patio or poolside.

I’ll miss you my Tennessean friend, but it’s time for me to move on.

Update:  My friend just called to apologize for his tardiness and his lack of consistency.  He’s asked me to give him another chance and I’m going to do it.  At a reduced rate, of course!