Last Week in MA

My master plan for moving from MA to Philadelphia had been to finish my church job and my volunteering gig at Brigham and Women's in early May, take my Pathophysiology final, and give myself a week to pack/say goodbye to my friends. But plans have a way of being interrupted.



Last Saturday was my final round as gabbai at my synagogue. It would not be my last Saturday morning service, but it would be my last one in this role, guiding the bar mitzvah's family through the honors of blessing the Torah readings, opening and closing the ark, and dressing the Torah scroll. I drove to services alone, still mindful of how wonderful it was to have my driver's license. I took the road test last November, but having put off learning to drive for years, my license feels like a symbol of self-reliance.

I drove back home shortly after making lunch plans with a dear friend of mine from synagogue for the Saturday before I move to PA. More accurately, I drove towards my house, but didn't quite make it. One of the tires on the car blew on the highway, making the car start spinning. Incredibly, I didn't get hit or hit anyone, even though I went across several lanes before I was able to stop the car. The front bumper hit the embankment, but the rest of the car was securely in the breakdown lane. Other than the panic I felt when the car was spinning, I felt well enough to put the car in park, put on my flashers, and call my dad. The car had to be towed, but I met my parents at the garage in one piece.

From my friends' accounts of being in car crashes, I expected some sore muscles, but I only felt faint pain in my arm that day. Considering how the crash could have occurred, I considered myself fortunate, and decided all I needed was some ibuprofen and rest. Over time, the pain got worse, but I thought it would go away eventually. I spent most of yesterday packing, amazed at how much stuff I was bringing to PA for a 14-month program. But my arm, not understanding the need to stay in shape before a move, kept complaining. So did my neck. That was the wake up call to make a doctor's appointment.

I am of course taking a break from packing. Instead, I am spending the afternoon watching Buffy and Law & Order on Netflix, amazed that my cats are able to be even lazier than I am.