I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run. Everyone calls her by her formal name, "E," except me, I call her Liz. When you've been friends almost forty years, you can get away with stuff. You kind of get grandfathered in. But "E" suits her, and "Liz" works for me.
I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run.My friend is the health nut of the two of us. She is an avid exercise person and has always maintained great healthy living habits. I figured by osmosis maybe that it would all help. Anyway, the last few months she uncharacteristically has mentioned she has not felt so great. The usual sparkle when I would see her was subdued. Anyway, a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run is REALLY on the run in the Pre Spring, so I gave her a call Thursday to find out how her tests went Tuesday. I was just checking in for a quick five minutes to see how it had all gone. Then she said it was going to take a lot more than five minutes. THUD, uh oh, I knew something really BIG was up.
I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run. She was diagnosed with Cancer on Tuesday. She and her sister drive to the Hospital today for "Pre-Op." Tuesday she has the operation. All in less than a week. It will be eight weeks to go thru the first recovery stage. So this is what I have thought about lately. Life changed in an instant. She has been a pal for four decades. She is simply a part of the fabric of my life. It's one of those things like, "Hey are you on the road? Meet me at Panera or Starbucks on the way home" kind of friends where you just hang out spur of the moment and think nothing of it. She rolls her eyes at all the things I have to do on my list and I roll my eyes when she talks about her "stop and smell the roses" stuff. But we've learned there is a lot of similarity between her Government Job and my Self Employed Real Estate Business. For instance, I will be learning Excel and she will be in a training class, too. I will have a new Map program to learn and she will, too. We realized over time there was more similarity than not in our different career paths. And somehow we have always struck a balance with our not exactly two peas in a pod selves.
I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run. So we all have roles in life. She has been one of my closest friends for almost forty years. This is a whole lifetime. We became friends on the spot. The important stuff comes easily like that. We had both lived in Calvert County all our lives. I spent summers only, though, until after college. So to meet, we had to both land at Va Tech on the same Shenks Fifth Floor Dorm Floor. A mutual friend wrote us both and told us. I walked down to her door and wrote her a memo. We have been doing fun stuff since. We are activity friends as in, "Hey, you want to go here" and off we go whether it's to exercise or walk or shop or vacation or lunch or whatever. It took about three decades before we realized that both our Grandfathers had been doctors. Hers , she reminds me , was a Surgeon. They had to have known each other. And both our Grandmothers had been avid DAR Members. Then, it took another five years to realize she is just like hanging out with my Mother. "And proud of it" she likes to remark.
Over the years Liz has worked for my family as a kid and been a place to hit on Holidays if my Folks are not around or a great pal to go off with on one of my escapades. I like to schedule a day off several months ahead and hit Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, a Museum of some kind, a cool restaurant, and then end up with a concert for a perfect day. One day we did all the above and hit the museum to see Jackie Kennedy's clothes and Grandma Moses paintings and then Paul McCartney in DC for the Grand Finale. After enough of these one day wonders, Liz made it clear I had to groom my Niece from now on for these escapades because they were a bit much for her laid back self. I did manage to drag her and my Mom to see Cher and Alan Jackson and hit the sites of New Orleans during a Realtor Convention before she tendered her resignation from these action packed events.
Recently I took Riley Rover to the Farm where she lives, after a Starbucks Run, and we walked by the River and threw sticks and let Riley Run for ages and ages. It was such a thrill to see him run wide open in the fields and then plop in the water for sticks and then run the fields again. It was one of my favorite moments recently to see him have that much joy and it was fun, I will concede the point, to just have a more peaceful "smell the roses" activity.
Friendship is a funny thing. We are exact POLAR opposites. She is a laid back Farm Girl... reserved and calm and patient. How in the world does this calm being have a lifetime friendship with a list driven, goal driven, 90 miles an hour self employed Business driven Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run ? My Dad says we hold the best baseball card swaps. We will go to the Flea Market and then barter afterward. I can never figure out how she goes to a restaurant and picks the best thing on the menu every time. I should just order what she gets and get over it...but no....I love hanging out with her Mom and Aunt, too. They are great sidekicks and we are regulars at the Ham and Church Suppers in the Fall. Once, my Mom met her Mom in the Prince Frederick McDonalds. They had not met over the years. Her Mom started talking about her daughter being in a small bus accident in New Orleans. My Mom said the same thing happened to her daughter. Anyway, it was really funny to hear about how much my Mom had taken to her Mom in McDonalds.
I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run. Anyway, now it's time to be a real friend. Like more than five minutes. So I am slowly figuring out the steps. I read up on the Mayo Clinic website so I understand this. I contacted mutual friends and have started an email support group for her. There is a website I learned about where friends can be invited and check in for updates. I am setting that up and will be contacting more Friends this week so they can send well wishes and support. I am stopping by after my Panera and Starbucks runs to help with the little stuff that becomes the big stuff.I am getting organized about it as in let's say it's on the list. I can really get her rattled when I talk about my list. She finally said I would never get through my lists. Just another thing for us to laugh about.
I learned my friend has Cancer...Journal of a Southern Maryland Realtor on the Run. So one of the big jobs I have this Spring is to be a really good friend, because that's what it is all about. She'll get a chuckle out of me taking out her trash or running the vacuum for her. But that's what friends are about. Meanwhile, I am getting Magazines ready to take her and figuring out I can drop off Crock Pot dishes and I bet she will enjoy some movies and books I have not loaned her yet. After all, we have the "Best Baseball Card Swaps!"
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Thanks for reminding us of what's important in life--friendship is one of those things, and you're a good friend, Cheryl.
Love and hugs to "E."
Cheryl,
A truly moving post about the really important things in life and a reminder that life is short, shorter for some than others, we need to BE friends for our friends.
I flagged your post for a feature... hope it gets there.
Thank you. It's all I can think about so it was surely the post for today.
I forget how to mark a post to suggest it for a Feature. I have never had one. How do you do that for future reference?
She should be at the hospital around now.
Cheryl,
Thank you for sharing your story of true friendship with us. With tact and care, you have masterfully laid out the journey you have travelled with E. You've come too far, to stop now! It is my hope that with my prayer and that of all those who read your story, that this becomes a story of overcoming adversity. I know a few people who have beaten cancer. It is mey sincere hope E is able to beat it.
Good luck to both of you.
Blessings!
What a great post, Cheryl. If we are friends now to those who need us, we'll have friends in the future when we need them.
I hope she is doing okay about now!
That post is a good reminder of how our lives can change on a dime. It is so easy to get caught up in the Real Estate world and forget or set aside the most important things in our lives like our friends. She is lucky to have you as a friend!