I was aimlessly walking around Madrid one Sunday afternoon when I saw these two old ladies in front of me slowly strolling down the street. Seeing that I had plenty of time, I decided to follow them and see where they take me – perhaps they knew the city better than I did. Supporting one another, they stopped at almost every restaurant, shop or building and just talked for a couple of minutes. Then they slowly moved on to the next one. Most people would probably think they get tired easily and thus need to stop often or are just talking about seemingly trivial things such as the weather or where to go for lunch. And they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but I have a different interpretation.

I imagine they have been friends all their lives; they’ve probably grown up together in this neighborhood and have seen it change and grow over the years. I imagine they’ve had this Sunday “put on our best dresses and stroll around” tradition for as long as they can remember. I imagine they talk about the past, the good and bad times they’ve had, connecting stories to each of the places they stop at. I imagine most of their friends or even their partners are no longer around, but just as always they keep on supporting one another despite the storms they’ve had between them. I imagine how strange it must feel that the “bright future” we are promised as kids is already behind you. I imagine it must be hard to come to terms with the fact that the increasing number of years under your belt is reflected in this change around you and that the world will keep on spinning regardless, like it always does.

Yet, I’d like to believe that this is a happy story – a story of true friendship that lasts a lifetime. One we should never give up on finding and preserving, even if it’s just for that Sunday afternoon walk.

ps. The song has little to do with the photo or the story, but it’s just stunning and I wanted to share it.