Last Minute Trip

I performed some shift-swapping wizardry this week to have 5 days off in a row and had originally planned to visit Haida Gwaii. One of the nurses has a guest house there and offered it to me for free for the week. But the long ferry ride and logistics of more time alone in a beautiful new place just wasn't as appealing as when I first dreamed up the idea. Frankly, I have spent a lot of time alone in amazing landscapes and I'm at a place where I like sharing those experiences with people I love now, be it friend or partner. Tobie has never been to the West Coast (I know, how is it possible??) so I decided to save that gem of a location for us to discover together at a later date.

Instead I drained the last of my aeroplan miles and booked a flight to Vancouver to visit my best friend, K.B. She and I have been connected in this world since the time when we both had all of our baby teeth. We were those friends who wore matching outfits and went to summer camp together. She was the one I first snuck booze with from my parent's cupboard, the one whose Barbie mansion I envied, and the one whose trampoline I spent most of my summer on every year. 

As 'grown ups' she and her husband were among the friends who took me in during a difficult breakup, and let me use their spare room as a home base during a year of travel nursing gigs. She also did half of my paper work for medical school applications when I was away in India. 

I studied all summer for the MCAT on her deck and trained with her for my Himalayan adventure. 

It was K.B who knew my MCAT score before I did. I had a connection in Singapore where I was able to check my email and she had sent me the note titled "CONGRATS!" 

She is a big part of the reason I am in medical school today. If they had not been so generous with their home I would have never had the chance to study and prepare as much as I did for both the MCAT and application process. They are two people in a large cast of characters who have brought me to this place, from my Revelstoke family to my genetically linked family in AB to my near-and-dears scattered all over this crazy world. 

I have been so lucky to have such wonderful support on this wild dream-chasing adventure. As I sit here on her deck once again, one year of medical school behind me,  I am brought back to the summers of 2008 and 2009. Often during those muggy days I felt completely lost, with a future that seemed so unbelievably uncertain.  They listened to me cry and witnessed a lot of teeth gnashing, but there was also a lot of laughter and delicious meals, days shopping for things like the perfect salt for a spice rub, and Saturday morning latté conversations. 

I'm so happy that I decided to come here for a tiny holiday, even if I just sit on this deck for the next 3 days. The disequilibrium I used to feel in this chair is gone. 

Here's to friends who have been along for the ride, and being back in my happy place!