I think this will be our year for playing catch up. As in catching up with friends and family and those we have yet to actually meet, other than being online friends. So far Denny and I have made a good start on that resolve, since we spent a month with part of our Myrtle Beach gang in February, only we did it in Harlingen, Texas. We made a point of seeing older friends and relatives when we were in Ohio because our own personal aches and pains have become a reminder that time is passing, no matter that we are still youthful in our own minds. More and more often on Facebook we read posts notifying us of the passing of someone we know, or the diagnosis of a serious illness. That social network that brings us together also quickly tells us of our frailty.This past week we were in central Ohio visiting our youngest son and his wife with the intent of heading northeast to the Buffalo area to see our oldest son and his family. But an email from a RVing couple we had met years ago through my parents made us add a quick detour towards Pittsburgh so that we could spend an afternoon with them. Sue has had some heart issues and her husband Joe is currently undergoing dialysis three times a week, but I don't think I've ever meet a couple who is so full of life and knows so well the joy of living life to its fullest. In their early 80s, they finally gave up their motorhome travels three years ago, not because of any driving issues but because Joe was no longer able to do all the maintenance and repair work on the motorhome himself. It simply was not his way to allow someone he didn't know to work on his motorhome, so they sold it. And in a funny follow-up, they sold it to an eighty-five year old man with a new sixty-five year old wife. It seems the two were dedicated tent campers but the newlyweds decided that perhaps it was time to camp a little more comfortably! Yay for them!
Long story short, we had a fabulous afternoon after having a really good lunch at a little local Italian restaurant, recalling memories of the times we spent together and sharing memories of individual RV travels. The time passed quickly and Denny and I said our good-byes when we realized Joe was getting tired. The two of us drove home in a glow left by the warm friendship.
As a result, I foresee us making more detours this year as we attempt to finally cross off those final five states from the list of fifty. There are a couple of people we have yet to meet as we work our way from those eastern seaboard states to our rendezvous with the surf and sand of Myrtle Beach, so we'll make the little zigs or zags necessary to stop for a hug or two along with a margarita or three.
It's going to be a good year.
