You Can’t Die Yet, We’ve Got Places To Go

You Can’t Die Yet, we’ve got places to go! I was shocked when the words came spilling out of my mouth without thinking. I was sitting on the couch with one of my dearest friends. Susan, my friend, said she was okay with dying, I didn’t know what else to say. I wanted to give her a reason to keep going. Her admission came forward while we were discussing her sad and terminal diagnosis of ALS.

ALS also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that weakens the muscles, speech, and eventually leads to death. There is no cure. Susan has been struggling for several years with the devastating symptoms of ALS. Sadly, Susan’s lost the ability to do many things for herself. She now uses a walker to get around and her speech has drastically slowed.

My once vivacious, beautiful friend was actually talking about the hard parts of her disease and the fact that ultimately death would come. I am one of the few that can totally understand her feelings.

My Beautiful Friend Susan

Susan is not ready to give up completely. If anything she wants to do as many things as she can now. Her enthusiasm and zest for life inspires me.

South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Yellowstone and Idaho

The words “You Can’t Die Yet”, we’ve got things to do and places to go. I looked at her and the struggles of her daily life and said “Susan if you could go anywhere, or do anything, what would you want to do?” I said, “seriously think about it and let’s make it happen”. She told me she wanted to see Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park. Two places she’d never visited before. I told her, “Okay, let’s make it happen”.

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota

Susan and I are unlikely good friends. We met years ago at Boise State University in an education class. Susan was born and raised in Idaho. She has always been a gentle soul. She’s extremely big hearted and the one her family leaned on for everything. She was a single mom with two children and focusing on completing her degree. She never really traveled, or ventured far out of Idaho and was always the calming spirit for her family and friends.

In sharp contrast to me, I was always a bit of the wild child. We met when I came home for a summer break from the Germany where I was living and working as a tour guide for a German travel agency. My life kept me overseas traveling the world for ten years.

But somehow we became lifelong friends after that summer class at BSU. Our friendship has survived 3 decades. Our kids even grew up knowing each other and enjoying friendship in adulthood.

Susan Grounds Me

I think Susan grounds me. She helps me see the simple side of life. Maybe for Susan I give her the adventure she’s never had. She is one of the few people in my life that can actually sit through my long winded stories about my adventures, crazy travel and laugh at some of the truly stupid and dangerous things I survived to tell this story today.

Although Susan did talk me into running a half marathon about 16 years ago. A half marathon that I never trained for. I have to admit, running only happened sporadically between walking most of the route. I suffered from aching shins for at least two weeks after that half marathon. Crazy Susan did another half marathon the next day. For me, I got to check it off of my Live It List! And I have Susan to thank for that!

Kayaking the Sea of Cortez

14 years ago I convinced Susan to leave Idaho and join me and five other women to Kayak the Sea of Cortez for 9 days. Susan had never done anything like that in her life. She was a champ! She was not fond of the thousands of man eating hermit crabs that inhabited our camping spot the first night or the other scary creatures like tarantulas, giant moths, or other creepy crawlies every time we stopped paddling to camp.

It was an incredible journey that most will never get to enjoy. We spent hours paddling from island to island, hiking through the desert, tarantulas, the very hot temperatures, snorkeling, biking, dancing and skinny dipping in the warm ocean every night. Susan didn’t know how to snorkel but once she got the hang of it she loved it and we couldn’t get her out of the water. The entire adventure was really something right out of National Geographic. Watching her blossom in the Baja desert was truly fascinating.

Blooming flowers in the Mexico
The blooming desert in Mexico

Back To Our New Adventure

We charted a plan, decided on dates, picked hotels and couldn’t be more excited! I will keep you all posted on the journey. We will share lots of pictures and reviews of hotels, restaurants, tourist sites, accessibility, and more.

It will be interesting, I will also have Zac, and if you don’t know who Zac is click on his name for his story. Traveling with two disabled people, two wheelchairs, a walker and a whole lot of miles to cover. Watch for our posts on Facebook, Instagram and maybe even TikTok.

Let The Adventures Begin!

78 thoughts on “You Can’t Die Yet, We’ve Got Places To Go” 78 thoughts on “You Can’t Die Yet, We’ve Got Places To Go”

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