It wasn't that she didn't answer her phone the first time I called.
Or ten minutes later when I called again.
Or thirteen minutes when I called the third time.
You see, my friend and I talk every morning.
We usually go roaming around to get some of the depression gone.
Because the depression can take a nose dive, we made a deal.
If either one of us does not answer the phone after three phone calls, the other person comes over and makes a visual check.
That's what I had to do. The last time I did this a friend of hers had picked her up so that's why her car was still in the driveway. Instant relief. But this time we had made plans to go out. She normally warms up her car but the car was in the driveway with frost covering it.
I knocked loudly on her door. I could hear the DVD playing. I yelled her name. The DVD repeated the same song. I pounded on her door again and yelled her name. Nothing. I put my key into her locks and opened the door.
She was laying on the couch - no movement.
My breath stopped and my heart stood still. And then...
She sat up. She was surprised to see me.
Everything in me heaved a sigh of relief.
I thought she'd slipped into a diabetic coma or something else had happened.
I told her everything I'd been doing to try and reach her. She was laughing (which is how she handles stress) then got up and got dressed. I told her how scared I was thinking she had died. Then I said, "I'm going to need a few minutes to process what just happened."
It jolted her into the reality of some papers that need to be finished.
It jolted me into making sure those get done.
My friend means a lot to me.
I pray that day of opening her door and finding her in the arms of Heaven doesn't happen too soon.
- Self-Care: Getting up the courage to walk into an unknown situation takes a lot of faith. Because I know the medical history of my friend, I know the possible dangers she can be in. Therefore, I have to stick to the thirty minute reaction time no matter how scared I might be.
