Meeting Kathryn Stratford in Boston

Our First Connection

I first met Kathryn Stratford by chance on Hub Pages after the Boston Marathon bombing in April. One of our fellow hubbers who calls herself Suzie HQ had expressed sympathy over the tragedy, which brought to my attention that Kathryn lives in Boston. This led me to visit and read Kathryn's profile page.The first feature I noticed was the plethora of recipe hubs. She's as much of a foodie as I am! The first of them that I read was about the fruity iced green tea refresher (which is delicious), since I was beginning to dream of summer days and making sun tea in a jar on my back deck. Now it is time for me to read about her corn pudding.

The next hub of Kathryn's that caught my eye was South Boston's Carson Beach in the Wintertime. I used to walk along that beach, wade, and read on the sheltered benches when I lived in Dorchester for a few years. My husband and I met there for one of our first dates. She also wrote a hub that featured a picture of Boston after the Blizzard of 2013 that blanketed New England back in February . Somehow, snow seems to soften the contours of a city skyline and adds a layer of magic. Through reading both of those hubs, I can see that Kathryn is open to seeing and appreciating the beauty of wherever she is. Then there is her hub about finding creative ways to pass the time whentraveling on public transportation. The featured picture portrays a station that served as my green line trolley destination when I volunteered as an usher for a theater company.

Once I read some of Kathryn's hubs and engaged in some conversation through various threads, I developed a sense of adventure regarding reaching out and meeting her. Her comments are always respectful and very encouraging. I realized the perfect opportunity for this meeting was when I worked downtown Boston for about 8 days in June. I invited her to meet me at work and was thrilled when she agreed.

Connecting with another human being in person is so different than connecting on the internet, or through writing letters. When we write, we can think about what we say. When we meet someone in person, the risk of just blurting out something ridiculous becomes greater. Given that, I only felt a little nervous about meeting Kathryn in person. I felt more excited. I was also inspired to give her a gift for taking the time to travel and meet with me ~ sunflower seeds. May the sunflowers that grow from them always make you smile, Kathryn!

The day that Kathryn and I met downtown Boston was the first day of summer. What a way to celebrate the Summer Solstice than to meet a new friend! I was very happy that the weather was lovely ~ sunny and breezy. We were able to sit on a bench and chat in one of my favorite Boston parks ~ the Boston Common.

The hour I had to relax flew by on eagles' wings as we chatted about what we loved to do with our time, what our neighborhoods are like, and the writer friends we have in common on Hub Pages. Someday, perhaps she will make it out to visit our co-housing community. Perhaps we'll have a chance to see each other at some type of festival in Boston. In the meantime, we have Hub Pages to help us keep in touch with each other.