My college roommate Karen has been in Atlanta for a conference and we've had dinner together every night since she's been in town. We were trying to remember when was the last time we'd seen each other in person, and she was thinking it was the time we attended a journalism conference in San Antonio, Texas, but think it was actually her wedding in 1987. Or was it 1988? Time flies!
Here we are the first night she was in town at Tin Lizzy's in Midtown Atlanta. The margaritas were stellar.
Lisa and Karen
Monday night we had dinner at Marlow's Tavern in Midtown. Her shrimp and grits were better than my Cuban sandwich. Try the watermelon margaritas!Tuesday night was dinner at Noodle in Midtown (see a theme here? Her hotel was in Midtown!)
We had the Asian pear sangria at Noodle. Wow, those were good. Be sure to eat the fruit for that extra kick! And ask for the waiter Sean. OK, that's an inside joke. ;)
Tonight, we had dinner at Ri Ra Irish Pub in Midtown, where a wardrobe malfunction occurred.
Just as we were being seated in the restaurant, Karen's sun dress (the one seen in the above photo) broke a strap. Good thing I'm a runner and ALWAYS keep four safety pins attached to my car key chain -- to attach those racing bibs, don't you know.
The very funny part of that story is we moved tables because of a very brisk air vent and our waiter Liam walked over with the other part of her dress strap and asked "Is this part of your dress?" We both burst out laughing.
The past four days have been all about laughter, and reconnecting, remembering our college days and talking about where life has led us, the good and bad.
Driving home tonight, I realized the gift of the past four days was that I had reconnected with my "old" self. My pre-cancer self.
Cancer survivors live day in and day out, and maybe like me struggle some days, with the "new normal" of post-cancer diagnosis.
As a cancer survivor, I NEEDED these past four days.
Sometimes all I can see is the crap that has come post-treatment. Karen's visit let me revisit the old me, my old self, my pre-cancer self -- and move some of my "old self" into my post-cancer life.
How effortless some reconnections are. Even though it had been more than 20 years since we had seen one another, it was as if we had never left one another's company.
Those are one's true friends.
This is why I don't stay in survivor groups or do cancer walks, etc. Cancer could and would become *the* milestone of my life if I didn't cut off from all of that. I know others who have said the same thing. When they were pronounced NED, they set that boundary so they could get on with their lives. It was bad enough to go through at the time without letting it take up any more of your life, is my take on it. If I can help it, I don't talk about cancer, think about it, read about it, stay in support groups for it, follow those who are still fighting it, or do walks/runs. Not everybody understands that, but it's fine; it's how some of us survive.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a good time with your roomies. It looks like her strap is hanging by a thread in that picture! :)
So glad you had