I am sure this happens in your life too … you’re looking forward to something, then something happens to not have it happen … then all is good …. and then it is not. Well these days 21- 25 of my trip felt like I was on a rollercoaster.

Driving south from NYS’s Adirondack area I stopped in at a former colleague’s home. This woman, who I worked with, and her husband had been key people during my tenure as a junior-senior high school principal years ago so I always try to visit them when in the area. After a quick visit and greatly appreciated lunch, I was on my way to see my best friend. The plan was to stay 5 nights at her home. I have known this person since 1983 and I can honestly say she is my one of my very best friends. She has had tough past months with numerous chemo treatments. I wished I could have provided her more support, but phone calls were all I could offer since I now live thousands of miles away. Needless to say I was excited to finally visit and spend time together with her. 

For the past 3 weeks on this trip, I wore my facial mask everywhere. I did not want to pick up any virus or virus variant. While the U.S. Center for Disease Control expected people to follow the honor system, to wear a mask if unvaccinated, I was not so sure people were doing so. In prep to visiting my mom and now my friend, I continued to wear a mask despite being fully vaccinated.

I received a phone call on my way to this visit. My friend had a sore throat and was going to the doctor for an exam and a Covid test! Oh my gosh, panic set in for me as I realized this could impact our visit. Since 24 hours are needed for a Covid test result, I chose to stay at a hotel. During that time, when we visited with each other we remained socially distanced, always wearing a mask, and waited 24 hours for the test result! There was my high, then low and back to a high when we realized she was Covid-free! Whew!

Although we had not seen each other in some time, we did not miss a beat. Our love for Broadway shows, art, reading, nature, walking and simply sharing time together has always been wonderful. I also admired the fact she started law school at age 50 and worked as an attorney for years after being an ESL and reading teacher. Now her inner strength to do all she can do despite the side effects from the chemo treatments is truly remarkable. I can only admire the person she is and so when it came time to say goodbye and I will see you next year, I was sad! My roller coaster had gone from high to low … thank goodness we have the technology to stay in touch!

Our visit included seeing other friends in nearby towns and enjoying ice cream. We also went to a driving range and clearly know we both need more practice before heading to a golf course! We also visited my sister’s alpaca farm and went for ice cream again. The time flew, every moment important, and I am still wishing I had my camera when we saw a beaver at work down at the river. Oh well …  a memory for us both. I’ll be back next year for us to enjoy time together and to create more memories.