Back in January, I sent an email to my top three of my besties. My nursing home peeps Julie, Chris, and Nancy. I asked them if they would celebrate my birthday with me.
I knew asking was presumptuous of me. That's why my finger hovered over the keyboard mouse, on my laptop for a few seconds before I clicked send.
Then the what-ifs began running through my head. What if they thought my request was a ploy just to get gifts? What if they were too busy? What if they just did not feel like making the trip? What if sending that email turned out to be one of the most foolish things I'd ever done?
What was I expecting? My friends had moved on to new journeys in their lives. Even the nursing home had changed its name and management. Everyone and everything had changed except me. We all know you can't turn back the clock. That was, however, what I was hoping for. That was what I wanted more than anything.
And, that's exactly what I got. When my three besties arrived It was like we had never been apart. We talked. We laughed. Julie held my Margarita for me while I munched on vegan snacks. Chris called me Jojo, and, Nancy sat next to me. What more could I have asked for?
Julie, Chris, and Nancy are like family to me. All three have been my sounding board and my advocate. They have defended me. They had also kicked my butt when I needed it.
The three of them saw some of my worst moments when I lived in LTC. They could have washed their hands off me. They didn't. I am so grateful.
The hours the four of us spent together on that sunny Saturday in April, were some of the happiest I have had in a long time. I felt a genuine warmth. A sense of belonging.
I was back in room 502 for a little while. Memories like these ran through my mind.
Chris walks by and throws something into my room. "What was that? I asked her. "A ball of snot, " she replies. "You get right back in here and pick that up," I yell. I punctuated my response with the expected, "Eww." Chris runs back into my room, picks up the aforementioned ball of snot, also known as a wad of crumpled paper, and walks out the door laughing.
Julie is listening to me ask the same burning question for the hundredth time that week. "Where's the Oikos Greek Yogurt? Yoplait is gross." She never once tells me my repeated questions are annoying to her. She explains to me for the hundredth that my fave yogurt has not come in yet. That same afternoon Juile asks me to play dietary bingo. Ugh.The things I do for my friends. I have to admit I had fun.
Nancy stops by my room before she goes home. We talk about my fear of getting a roommate now that I am on Medicaid. "No, No, No. They're not going to give you a roommate." I know she is trying her best to keep me in my private room. I know her door is always open to me if there is a problem. If I just need to talk. Knowing that makes me feel better.
I beg to differ Thomas Wolfe, sometimes you can go home again,
As I write this post I am wearing my sushi socks, I look over at my fridge adorned with photos of us. There are several more on the wall. Pictures of the three of us being goofy. Being us.
I love my sushi magnets. Who needs real sushi anyway?
It was an awesome day with awesome friends.
If I had not been a resident of LTC I never would have met them.
I would have missed out on their knowledge. I would have missed out on some new experiences. I would have missed out on their friendships
<3
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