The Day Dianne Left

Oh, what a day. Woke up with a bit of a party headache after getting home about 1am. It was Mike and Dianne's last night in Japan and we went out (12 of us) to our favorite Mexican restaurant that serves fresh fruit margaritas. Ate too much, drank too much (but I got all my fruit servings for the week in!), went to The Club but danced not at all (they still haven't figured out the new sound system), did a tequila shot (because at midnight THAT sounded like a good idea - that, AND I cave under peer pressure) and rolled in at 1:00. Getting too old for this.

Didn't sleep too well because my Tater-man has a bad wing and he was fidgiting all night long. He doesn't want to go to the doctor because the doctor "might give him medicine". Now, I'm no trained medical professional, but I'm pretty sure that any time you can't use your right arm it calls for drugs. Hard drugs. And if he won't take them, I will! Helps me deal with the wincing and whining...

Anyway, at 12:30 this afternoon we had to be at the departure point for Mike and Dianne's sendoff. This is a girl that has becaome a lifelong friend here. She's funny. And sweet. And strong. And normal. She just "gets" me. And I love those things about her.

I thought I was going to hold it all together there for a while. After all, we've known this was coming now for, what, a year? And, I had a couple of weeks to work up to this point. Their Farewell Party was a couple of weeks ago, I signed her kokeshi doll, we've seen the photos of their new house...it's not like this has snuck up on us. I thought I was prepared. And then the van came to take them away. Their luggage was loaded up and it was time to go. She hugged me goodbye and I just lost it. We've been here for so long and seen so many close friends leave, that you might think it gets easier every time. But it doesn't. It was as hard to see Liz go. And Lisa. And Annie. And Carolyn. And Matt. And now Dianne. Next month it will be Bronwyn. Monica looked over to me after they left and just said, with tears in her eyes too, "And then there were three."

This is such an odd way of life. I have met so many great people that I would never have met if we had stayed in Indiana and gotten normal jobs and had a normal life. The trade-off is that we are constantly saying goodbye to really excellent friends. Old people are leaving and new people are coming. It's a constant turnover of collegues and friends, and occasionally. Just occasionally, you hit on a really special couple, that you just click with. What a miraculous accident. But then, inevitably, one of us must leave.

Saying "goodbye" so often is draining. But not as draining as having to turn around to the group of people standing behind you and look for a new best friend.