After 7 1/2 hours on driving on Saturday, the last thing I wanted to do was get back into the car on Sunday. But, I rose at 8:30 and began looking for brunch spots in Harlem.

I was meeting a friend I hadn’t personally seen in at least seven years. She’d moved to California. Illness, lack of funds, and my strange fear of long flight prevented me from visiting.

I was excited to see her but I had no plan. I’d chosen no place to eat or what we’d do after our meal. This is shicking because my life is usually planned out as far our as possible. Knowing I have something to look forward to or fight towards has always made coping with my chronic illness easier. But, I’d been busy, been feeling sick and I’d been stressed by applying to college again.

A half hour I started my search, I decided on a brunch place, Chocolat on 120th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

By the time I climbed into the car a little after 11:00 am, traffic from New Jersey to the city was stop and go. My friend and her daughter had beaten us to the restaurant. They were sitting in window seats when I arrived.

We embraced and instantly began catching up on the news our lives that hasn’t been posted online. One hour flew by and then a second. We only left the restaurant when we noticed other people were waiting for a seat.

Unwilling to let our mini reunion end, we spontaneously decided to get dessert. We walked over to the Sugar Hill Creamery. It was during our stroll that my friend let me see my life through her eyes. Having her act as my mirror was an unexpected perk of our meeting. And, it taught me a lot about how others viewed me, my struggles and my writing. It also showed me it’s okay to not always have everything planned out; this leaves room for unexpected joys.

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