Day of Hope #103

Tuesday July 13 – Day of Hope #103

Goal: Find some quiet and a dear friend

Quote: “If you never had friends, you never lived life.” - Unknown

July 30th, 2021, found me at the Hampton Inn in Tremonton, Utah. A twist on my Day of Hope. I didn’t celebrate on the 13th because I had to work the entire day preparing board documents. It was one of those long, exhausting days where the most I could do afterward was go home, watch a movie, and call it good.

The next day, July 14th, I did squeeze in some self-care and went to Two Rivers Spa for a honey Hawaiian wrap, massage, and facial. The place was packed with people bursting out of their COVID hibernation, and honestly, it felt like the world had forgotten how to behave in public. No masks anymore, everything open, restaurants, theaters, spas, and patience seemed to be in short supply everywhere.

The Delta variant was starting to make headlines again. Gas prices were nearly $4. Biden was president. Eagle, Idaho was getting overcrowded. Traffic was becoming chaos. Life felt loud and full.

So instead of the full day on the 13th, I gave myself the 31st… the 13th backwards, my favorite kind of second chance.

Which is exactly why Tremonton, Utah was calling me.
I needed quiet
I needed space
And I needed to see my dear friend, Mr. D.

On the 30th, I spent time working on my book. It hit me on the drive to Tremonton just how much pressure I had been putting on myself. I had been caught in the mental trap of everything needing to be figured out before I could finish:
Who will publish it?
Who will do the artwork?
How will it all come together?

That pressure was sucking the joy right out of the writing. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to write, it was that I thought I had to have every future detail decided first. But I don’t. Not now. Not yet. Everything will unfold when it’s supposed to. My only job is to keep taking small steps. To keep writing. To finish the draft.

I’ve been incorporating comments from my kids and my boyfriend, and I’ve been stuck on writing some of my extra stories. Not because I can’t remember them, but because sitting down to actually write them takes emotional energy.

One story especially, the one where I climbed a real mountain and survived (which you can now read on A Day of Hope #33 https://www.hopeshighways.com/blog/day-of-hope-33). The hesitation wasn’t about memory; it was about the heart.

Because that day on the mountain wasn’t just a hike. It was a moment in time shared with Mr. D.
My friend
My climbing buddy
My person who helped me up that mountain, just as I helped him.

And now I’m here in Tremonton, visiting him as he struggles with worsening Alzheimer’s. His niece and nephew are building a house so he can move in with them, but the closing date keeps getting pushed back. Time feels uncertain. He is declining fast, and I knew I had to spend this backwards 13 with him.

So I did.

On the 31st, we had a beautiful day together. We laughed. We cried. We talked. We drove around Brigham City and grabbed Starbucks. I soaked in every moment. He may not remember the day forever… but I will. And I believe, deep in his heart, he loved it too. Even writing this so many years later I still miss him but I will always cherish our time together.

My lesson of hope: Dear friends are rare treasures. Hold them close especially when time is slipping, memories are fading, and presence is the greatest gift you can offer.