The Price of Admission



The invisible hand of my Higher Power has once again been flawless (isn't that always the case?) This road trip is looking and feeling like a divinely inspired perfect decision. I really need to shut down my thinking and listen to him more often...

I pulled up to their home in central PA on day one into the welcoming arms of "Darryl and Julie."  He was a medical school roommate of mine from 1988-1991, and we have managed to stay in touch ever since. Also an ER doc, he's one of those guys who has always calmly accepted life on life terms without ever having to learn about it in a 12 step program. I arrived, they set me up in a guest room, and immediately took me kayaking on the perfect June day. As we paddled along in the calm waters, we managed to catch up on years' worth of stories, as well as pull out some oldies but goodies from the past. We laughed a lot, got some sun, and all the while a bald eagle kept us company. Yes, the gorgeous creature would perch himself on a a tree branch overhanging the river just ahead of us, and as we passed, spread his wings and swoop downriver another hundred yards or so, then chill on another branch until we got close. This continued for several miles. I don't know if ever in my life  I had viewed a bald eagle so close, and for so long. He seemed to be guiding us...HP...is that you?

The next day my travels took me to Peekskill, NY to visit my Auntie M (at least that's what I've called her my entire life). She is the last surviving sibling of three, my dad having passed away in 2016 and my uncle a few years before that. We both relished  the visit, and I chauffeured her around for groceries and bagels. We had dinner out at a Latin fusion restaurant, and afterwards I pulled out my travel guitar and played for her.  The next morning, as I departed, she hugged me as only a loving aunt can, and thanked me profusely for the visit. Frankly, I think she did more for me in our short time together that I did for her.

I moved on to Manhattan and visited with aunt #2, where we walked the streets of the city and found a nice deli for takeout (more NY bagels!). We sat on benches, nibbled on our lunches, and spoke of my father, my uncle (her husband), and life. Auntie L is  pushing 80, but still a very able-bodied woman, and converses with the energy of a 25 year-old. She was interested in my book and so I gave her a copy of my almost-finalized manuscript. I wasn't an hour out of the city before I received a text from her saying she had finished the first chapter and found it, in her words, "brilliant." Thank you for your kind words, Auntie L...

Next stop was to see an old high school friend who lived in North Jersey. "S" and I go back to when we were both 14. We ran cross-country together, competed in class together, and in 1983 watched from the 11th row as the band Rush performed at Radio City Music Hall. Sometimes I feel like that concert may have been the apex of my early life (before my children were born). I arrived just as he was finishing his work, and we went on an extended walk around his town and caught up. We had coffees, grabbed some food, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at his pad swapping guitar songs; we finished together with a jam of Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me." Another perfect visit.

Today I am going to see my old college friend "A" and his wife "B," again, people I have known for eons. He and I are now bike vacation buddies, having cycled southern Ireland as well as the mountains of Eastern Oregon with a cadre of other friends. Memories will be revived; life situations will be updated, and another spiritual connection will be reinforced. 

This weekend takes me to Philly to see my sister and her family to celebrate a life event of my nephew. After that it is a trek back south to have coffee with a new friend, then Washington DC to see another old med school roommate, and then finally home on Sunday. I am trying not to think too much about Sunday, Father's Day. I am focusing on the only day that matters, today. Sunday will unfold as Sunday unfolds. Right now I choose to bask in the warmth of connecting with those I have known for 50 years, as well as others I am about to meet for the first time...

Peace out.


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