Yesterday morning, I made the trek from Pasadena to Anaheim—not for a Disney day, but for something far more magical: twenty-four hours with my “sister from another mister” who’s in town for a business conference.
We talk and text all the time, but we rarely get to hang out in person. In fact, our last in-the-flesh visit was way back in 2021. So we weren’t about to let SoCal traffic and work schedules stand in the way of a reunion years in the making.
When we finally reunited in the hotel lobby, we shared one of the longest hugs in history—a squeeze that seemed to hold every laugh we’ve shared, every trip we have taken, and the countless little moments in between that have stitched our friendship together.
There may have been some tears. Okay, there were tears. Of joy.
After more than twenty years of friendship, we’ve been through thick and thin(ish), highs and lows, and our fair share of loves and losses.
We first met at a party, just as she was moving back to Los Angeles, and within minutes it felt like we’d known each other for years. We hit it off instantly, pointing, laughing, and realizing how much we were alike…and different.
Eventually, life pulled us in different directions—I stayed in California and she ended up back in Seattle. The “Emerald City” is one of my favorite places to visit and holds an extra piece of my heart because my chosen sister lives there. And her not-so-little dog too.
I haven’t been up to traveling these past few years, so this mini-reunion feels especially precious—like exhaling a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
Before she flies out later today, we might wander around Anaheim. Or we might just lounge by the pool and talk until our voices go raspy. We definitely won’t be visiting the theme parks across the street. Not this time anyway.
We’ll make our own kind of adventure, the kind without tickets, turnstiles, or lines. Just two old friends catching up on the latest chapters of each other’s lives.
Sometimes, a single day together is all it takes to make up for lost time.
Thank you for being a friend!
Clint 🌈✌️
COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber or Patron.
Thanks for reading COLLIDE PRESS!
This post is public, so feel free to share it.
ON THIS DAY = AUGUST 14
BIRTHDAYS
1851 = Doc Holliday = American dentist and gambler
1852 = Guglielmo Plüschow = German photographer 🌈
1881 = Francis Ford = American actor and filmmaker
1906 = Horst P. Horst = German-American photographer 🌈
1923 = Alice Ghostley = American actor
1941 = David Crosby = American singer-songwriter
1945 = Steve Martin = American actor, comedian, writer, and polymath
1945 = Wim Wenders = German filmmaker
1946 = Antonio Fargas = American actor
1946 = Susan Saint James = American actor
1947 = Danielle Steel = American author
1951 = Carl Lumbly = American actor
1953 = James Horner = American composer and conductor
1956 = Jackée Harry = American actor and tv personality
1959 = Magic Johnson = American basketball player and coach
1959 = Marcia Gay Harden = American actor
1960 = Sarah Brightman = English singer and actor
1961 = Susan Olsen = American actor and radio host
1964 = Mark Pocan = American politician 🌈
1966 = Halle Berry = American model and actor
1968 = Ben Bass = American actor
1968 = Catherine Bell = English-American actor
1971 = Peter Franzén = Finnish actor
1974 = Christopher Gorham = American actor
1975 = Jill Bennett = American actor 🌈
1983 = Mila Kunis = Ukrainian-American actor
1983 = Lamorne Morris = American actor and comedian
EVENTS
1893 = France becomes the first country to introduce motor vehicle registration.
1935 = Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, creating a government pension system for the retired.
1985 = Los Angeles is the first U.S. city to ban discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS in employment, housing, education, and health care.
1987 = Can’t Buy Me Love is released in theaters.
1998 = How Stella Got Her Groove Back is released in theaters.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you do criticize him, you'll be a mile away and have his shoes.”
Steve Martin
“The greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself.”
Steve Martin




Wowwwzer Clint, you could hear your love and pride of your friend in your text words and I could hear your imagined voice too saying it, Cheers DougT 🇫🇴🇬🇧
This was beautiful, Clint. The way you write about reunion — not just as joy but as healing after separation — really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing this piece of your heart today.