she's not doing now. Which...well, she was an oncology nurse for years, so she's seen firsthand how some people plan and then don't get ANY kind of future :-( In fact, not one but TWO of her co-workers retired, then had health crises that caused them to pass away mere months after retirement. I'm not saying people should go into debt when they're younger but I also don't believe in counting on being around, and being healthy, when you're older and doing things then (though it's great when you can).
our current unstable economy has affected many retirement funds negatively since they are tied to the stock market. Many people are getting statements from their retirement funds showing that their fund has lost significant value and they have a lot less money in their retirement accounts than they thought they had. That is both depressing and kind of terrifying. I don’t know if your BFF is dealing with that situation. But there is a good chance that she is.
SO true :-(
Maybe this is a good time to take your friendship to the heart-to-heart level. You could say something like “I care about you, BFF, and I can see that you’re struggling with depression. I just want to make sure that you know that you can talk to me about anything.” Having someone that you can trust and talk to can make a huge difference.
I want to do that next time I see her (it's not a conversation to be conducted via text). But I'm so non-confrontational, I'll probably chicken out.
For what it’s worth, I still have a lot of respect for nurses. They have a hard job with immense responsibility and are almost always understaffed. Even if BFF went into nursing for the pay, stability and prestige more than because she loves to help people, I can understand how she might feel betrayed by what has happened to her profession.
As do I. One thing bff thinks has shifted over the years...decades ago, doctors were king and nurses were afterthoughts. Many doctors treated nurses like dirt. When bff first entered the profession, she said respect for nurses was growing, especially among doctors. But she feels (again, it's what SHE feels) the pendulum is swinging back and younger doctors just starting their careers are once again regarding nurses as nothing more than menial labor. I don't know if that's true or not...I would love to hear from other nurses (and doctors) on the subject of the value of nurses.
As for traveling, does your church ever organize any group trips (either day trips or overnight trips)? If not, maybe you can find a group to join that does that sort of thing.
Only missions trips, which don't really interest me.
Or maybe traveling with your sis is looking better and better. Whenever you talk about your sis and her travel style (not planning too much and then not sticking to minimal plans), I think you could be describing me. LOL, you would hate traveling with me.
😊 I doubt that. As long as you're not promising we'll do this, that and the third and getting my hopes up, and as long as you're not sleeping in and then taking hours to get ready and start the day, I'm relatively cool with not having a plan. But I like to maximize my time in a new place, especially one I'm not expecting to get back to any time soon (I'm still stinging about the entire NYC trip to see my niece graduate the first time from NYU...)
