Nicola.
A good friend of mine Nicola has said to me over and over that she will come visit us in Australia at some stage. This was the year she finally booked her flight and we started our countdown to her arrival.
She arrived with us this weekend and was the same Nicola as always. Full of chat. Squeezing a million different conversations into every day. Full of positive energy. Nicola has to have been one of the friends that has had the biggest effect on me as a person. I hope she wont mind me saying this but the year before we emigrated Nicola was involved in a dreadful car accident that has left her with some pretty awful injuries. I flew over to Ireland and was collected by another friend Stella who drove me to the hospital where Nicola was in an induced coma in a very serious condition. As I sat watching her and holding her hand I felt so much regret. Regret for all the cards I should have sent, the phone calls I should have made, the friendship that had been allowed to take a backseat as my life had taken me in a different direction. I made a promise to Nicola that if she would just get better I would never take her friendship for granted again. Or any other friendship, or my health, or Byron's, or my kids.....
Nicola did recover, slowly and over many months and many operations. She could be self pitying but all she can talk about is how lucky she is to be alive. About all the great things she wants to do with her life. How precious is the here and now. How absolutely nothing is unachievable if we just set our mind to it. She is a brilliant person and if I could just have 1% of the positive attitude she has I will have a great life no matter what gets thrown at me.
Nicola laughed her way through her flood trashed spare bedroom in our house. She squealed her way through the big storm and she talked my ear off over the many coffees we had during her stay.
Thank you for coming to see us Nicola , enjoy the rest of your holiday!
