10 months out of the year are filled with memories of my life with Bob: 44 years worth of memories.
And those memories begin with the middle of March 1974; ending with the middle of December 2018.
The memories aren’t so raw, and they don’t tear my heart to ribbons anymore … but those 10 months are still hard to get through – with only 2 months of recuperation time.
So, this morning, like every morning since March arrived, I woke up and just laid in bed for a few minutes – lethargic in body and deliberately sluggish in thought: delaying the inevitable, and psyching myself into meeting the day head-on.
I can't wait until weather permits travel further afield – road trips help me deal with the memory onslaughts. All of my memories with Bob are good ones; that's why they hurt my heart so much when inactivity is prolonged.
Just as I was about to throw the covers back and force myself into action … the phone rang. I answered, and heard a familiar voice ask me, “Are you awake?” I said I was. The next question – probably prompted by my sluggish reply, was, “Are you dressed?” I said I wasn’t … but I could get dressed. David said, “Okay then: meet me at Mary’s for breakfast”. I said, “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll meet you there.”
David is an old friend.
I’ve known David since the Summer of 1966.
David knew both Bob and I – in fact, it was David who first introduced the two of us to each other in 1974. Doug threw us together in March of 1974 … but David was playing match-maker weeks before that fateful March meeting.
David has been a part of my life for longer than Bob was: he was a part of my life with Bob; and he is a good friend to me now that Bob is no longer a part of either of our lives.
Good friends are good medicine 😉
We talked while we ate; we talked about everything, and anything. He said he’d read on my FB Page (before the FB Team 86’d me for 3 days), that I have been getting out and about, kicking off my new year daytrips. He gave me tips on longer road trip adventures (I appreciated that info). He encouraged me to get braver about broadening my solo lobo road excursions – and while I am not yet ready to travel specific highway routes on my own … his faith in my ability to do so, bolstered me to think I can, at some point 😊
He knows me.
He knew the go-getter woman I was before December 2018: he knows I am still that go-getter woman. He did what Bob always did: he encouraged me to try my wings.
We sat and drank coffee, and talked long past our breakfast dishes being taken away. It felt good for the two of us to have an honest-to-God convo without skirting around issues with political correctness footsie byplay.
When we got to the parking lot, he showed me where the 4-wheel app in the car is located, and how to employ it (Bob left Earth before he could explain it to me – and the car’s handbook is useless to me). I am thankful! That will come in hand, on a few of the adventures I am hoping to undertake 😉
After we said our goodbyes and headed in opposite directions of the highway; I came home and changed my shoes for my hiking shoes.
The day was too beautiful, and warm, to waste indoors.
It was a good day.
Now, I will spend the evening working on another preemie baby blanket I started last night:
It is a
nice sunny Spring color to wrap a Spring baby in 😉
