Best Friends - A Temporary Ending

     So I'm not big on goodbyes. Hence the title of this post - while this chapter of my time with Best Friends is ending, I like to think there is always some continuation of it waiting in the future. The folks involved in the program (and there are a lot!) are all fantastic people, who I would lament having to give an official goodbye to. This was reflected today in how my last time volunteering went. I was "best friends" with a funny man with wispy hair, a catchphrase, and a lot of attitude. This catchphrase was asking if a random lady sitting around the table was my "girlfriend." I played along, and eventually he confided that one of them was his girlfriend. A surprise indeed! Through all his banter and funny quips, he had no idea this was my last time volunteering for the semester. How do you tell someone you're likely not going to see them again for a while? So when the time came for me to leave, I had to simply tell him it was nice talking to him, and to have a great Christmas. That is often just how it goes with Best Friends, yet it's beautiful in a way - people wade in and out of the building like some kind of a tide, ebbing and flowing. Oftentimes it felt like I was only a droplet of water in that tide, but looking back, I know we were there for a reason.

Being a small part of such a large effort can feel like you are not
all that important - but the truth is every contribution matters.

While the full/part-time workers and volunteers at Best Friends are amazing and keep everything running smoothly, they can't be everywhere. So on the days where lots of college volunteers show up, I really do think they appreciated our help, and that is wonderful. But really, each time I walk out of Best Friends I can't help but think the people there are teaching me more about life than I am helping them! I suppose that is natural, though - these people have a lot of enlightening, funny (and sometimes awkward!) input that I never could have imagined going in.

     Again, while this is not goodbye, this is a temporary ending. I definitely see myself coming back to Best Friends, especially as I live in Lexington. To that end, I am more invested than ever in the well-being of those with dementia. I know Best Friends is a rare place, and the world needs more of it. Anyways, thank you for following along the past few months! It has been fun.

I am ready for whatever finds me next, be that
with Best Friends or elsewhere in the realm of dementia.