Gingersnapped!: Four Years Later

Four years ago I never planned to be at home this weekend. Four years ago, in Hollywood and from the (then) CEO of Disney Studios, I found out they were going to make a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Everyone in our little pirate group was excited. Everyone assumed we would be doing the same thing in 2011 as we were doing then – getting together to celebrate Johnny, pirates and our incredible friendships…and having a blast doing it.

And the friendships were incredible…and pretty unlikely. We were quite a diverse group – different life experiences and circumstances, different ideologies, different religious backgrounds…but somehow we came together (over the internet) and something just clicked. It was actually quite amazing. There was a depth of feeling and kindred-ness and sisterhood. We supported each other through all the bumps in our individual roads...with laughter and with tears. We were able to get together (in various sub-sets…we were never once ALL together) in different places around the world.

I would love to say that everything was peaches and cream all the time…but it wasn’t. There were a few disputes…some hurt feelings…a couple of blow ups…and there really isn’t a “group” anymore. I mourned that loss for a very, very long time…beating myself up for a lot of the problems. Now I think I have healed and can look back and appreciate what happened for what it was – quite a magical confluence of individuals and time and purpose. We did have some really wonderful experiences together. Exciting things happened.

Some of us were able to sail on The Lady Washington (used as The Interceptor in the first pirate movie) all dressed up as pirates.

Some of us were able to attend a casting call for the second and third movies.

Some got together for the Toronto Film Festival.

Some attended conventions together.

There were get-togethers in Oregon, Mississippi, Florida, Canada, Utah and two premieres in California. We were privileged to meet (and party with!) several of the actors from the films, and we held a few fundraisers for the charity of one of the actors.

And, as one of my co-workers once said, I achieved the "Mt. Everest of Johnny Depp-dom" when I got to see him and actually touch him, and thank him for what he'd done for me...for all of us.

Seriously magical. All in the space of just a few years’ time. And I suppose magical things don’t last long. That’s why they’re magical. And I think I've finally come to accept that.

I miss my friends. I miss the daily contact, the phone calls, the emails…I miss the excitement and the belonging. I miss the shivery anticipation of planning another trip, another party, another event. But I’m glad it all happened. I’m glad I was able to meet these wonderful women (and a couple of really terrific husbands) and get to know them. They made such a difference in my life.