What a time to be alive!

This weekend has been a whirlwind of unexpected yet worthwhile festivities. My original plan was to go visit my dad out in Seattle this past weekend, but with the recent developments with the coronavirus, I decided to just stay home so I wouldn’t have to self-quarantine. Although I was upset that I would not be going out to the West Coast, I know that there will be other opportunities to visit.

Since I was no longer going to Seattle, I had no plans for the weekend, and after a flurry of Friday night texts with my friend Lizzie who was coming back to New Jersey for the weekend, we made some impromptu plans to head into Brooklyn for my college roommate Francisca’s birthday party. I really wanted to go now that I knew I’d be in the area, since I hadn’t seen Francisca in a few months. The fact that Lizzie would be home for the weekend and able to attend with me made it way more appealing, because I still don’t quite feel confident enough to navigate the trains and subways to Brooklyn alone. And even better, her dad agreed to drive us into Brooklyn, which made the whole commuting situation easy. 

We met up with the birthday girl at Spritzenhaus in Brooklyn, and enjoyed some spicy mezcal drinks, lagers, and pretzels. It was so nice to catch up with old friends from college we hadn’t seen in years, as well as meet new friends. 

After a couple of hours at Spritzenhaus, our group walked a few blocks over to Berry Park to continue the festivities. Francisca had reserved some tables at the rooftop lounge, so I ventured up the several flights of stairs to the roof. I can manage stairs fine, I’m just a little slow, and a lot of times I feel self-conscious about holding up a large group while I tackle the stairs. I’ve found that a lot of times it’s better for me to just wait until everyone else has gone up the stairs first, so that when I do it I can take my time and not worry about there being people behind me. I do the same thing on the train; before I disembark the train I will usually wait until every other person has gotten off.

For me, it is important to put myself in situations where I am set up for success. Like getting off the train last so I’m not stressed out by the people behind me anxiously awaiting to get to their destination. Or calling an uber from the train instead of struggling with the overstimulation on the subway. 

All in all, our trip in to Brooklyn was a success, and getting to spend time with  good friends was amazing. 

When we got back from Brooklyn, Lizzie and her family invited me to join them that evening for a Celine Dion concert. Now that is just an offer I simply cannot refuse! 

I have been making a real effort lately to listen to my body and recognize my limits. Was I too tired from our daytime excursion to go to a concert that night? I thought about it, and I felt fine. I am trying to recognize my limits but also push my limits at the same time, and figured that a concert that evening would be a good way to do so. After all, if I couldn’t be in Seattle like I had originally planned, then I thought that I might as well have a fun time with my friend and her family. 

And so, to the Celine Dion concert we went. And let me tell you, she was incredible! What a performance. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to see her live and spend more quality time with Lizzie. 

Saturday was a late night for me, but worth every minute.  I wasn’t in Seattle as planned, but ended up having just as much, if not more, fun hanging out in the city with my friends. What a time to be alive, indeed.

Enjoying the beautiful day on the rooftop of Berry Park

“My heart will go on”