Unexpected Gifts

Yesterday, I did what friends do. I was simply present. The reality of the last half of adult life is that it includes many doctors, hospitals and funerals. We are taking care of our own bodies which are just starting to age as well as addressing the ailments of our parents and grandparents.

And it is okay. There are many gifts in these kinds of days.

BFF's Husband and I spent the first half of the day in Baylor hospital's comfortable waiting area. I was juggling client conference calls on my iPhone and work emails on my laptop. In between, I received my first gift.

I have known BFF's Husband since college and that would be 30 years! We discussed how each of our jobs are going at the moment. Then, we talked about politics including Wendy Davis's campaign for Governor of Texas, the Republican Party far right leadership situation and the impact of the abortion provisions of Texas HB2. The interesting part is that I often avoid talking politics with BFF and BFF's Husband because through the years I keep moving more and more to the liberal side of issues and not all my friends (old and new) are there with me. The truly fascinating part is that my BFF's Husband's comments, thoughts and opinions had much more in common with mine than I would have ever imagined. I so appreciated and enjoyed his insights and honest dialogue and his openness to my views. While waiting for BFF to come out of her surgical procedure, a slice of time was our gift and we used it to share our minds in intelligent conversation.

The afternoon was spent with BFF in her hospital room discussing the successful procedure, sharing a heart healthy lunch and catching up on life. BFF and I turn 50 in 18 months so we used this time to plan our birthday blow out. We have the venue, entertainment, theme, location, food and drinks planned! My second gift was this conversation about celebrating life. BFF's Husband pointed out to us the irony of having this conversation in a Baylor Heart and Vascular hospital room. BFF and I looked at each and smiled - exactly!

The third gift is love. This love is why BFF sat with me in a breast surgeon's office last December as I learned what my options would be to rid my body of cancer. This love is why I was at the hospital while my friend's heart was fixed.

Over the next 30 years we will likely share doctor visits, hospital waiting rooms and graveside good byes. Thank goodness I do not have to do it alone.