June 15, 2018 Day
255
I slept so well last night for the bed was clean and really
comfy. I was up at 05:00 am but laid in
bed going in and out of sleep until 7:30. Then I got up to shower and get
things ready to go pick up my old college roommate (Markeeta) up. I ate the last few bites of my Wendy’s burger
from yesterday and then drove the eight minutes to her place in Falls Church,
VA.
It is amazing how time has gone by, about six years, and yet
we were talking like it was only yesterday.
How comfortable I felt and how easy our conversation flowed was
surprising after all this time. It is
sad that we only get to hangout for a day for I would have liked to spend more
time catching up. I find it interesting
where ones’ path leads over time. We
both had dreams and still have those dreams but have yet to reach them;
however, I believe she is closer to hers and I was blown away by all that she
is doing. She has obtained her master’s
degree and most importantly has dedicated her time to helping children in
need. A person who can so willing give
themselves to others while seeking nothing in return or expecting anything is
truly a remarkable person. If only more
of us acted that way let alone thought about being so selfless.
After picking her up we drove to the Metro station where I
parked my vehicle and we walked into the darkness that is the station. Thankfully she knew her way around the metro,
so I was able to just follow her and not focus on when we had to get on and off
the metro to switch trains. When we
arrived at the Smithsonian Zoo we walked around to every exhibit talking the
entire time. A lot of the mammals were
inside, mostly due to the heat, so we didn’t get to see them, but we did see
all the reptiles which was pretty awesome. Throughout our walk around the zoo we were
plagued by a group of little kids and one knows how kids are…they don’t care
who is around them they just push their way in hahaha. So, we hurried along to try and get ahead of
them and it worked for the most part.
Eventually we were both thirsty and so I paid an outrageous $8.00 for a
thing of dipping dots which was just what the doctor ordered!
She had to be back for a little girls’ graduation party at
13:00 but we didn’t end up leaving the zoo until 13:30 due to all our talking
and walking around. Getting off the
metro at my vehicle we drove to a few grocery stores in the hunt of ice cream
for the party and since I was starving I splurged and bought some sushi. I didn’t end up dropping her off until 14:30
-15:00. After saying our goodbyes and
talk about staying in better touch this time I departed and made my way to the
Arlington Cemetery.
There I walked around for three hours taking in the beauty
of the huge oak trees and the rows upon rows of headstones. To describe what one feels walking in this
place among the history and sorrow is indescribable. It is sad to realize how many people die in
war and how many bodies are never identified nor found. I saw the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier and witnessed two or three changing of the guards. At one point one of the guards stepped out of
line and yelled at a child that must have been swinging on the railing for he
yelled at the kid to stop. He was so
loud that it scared me! I don’t think I
would do well in the service at all with being yelled at like that! I did learn that the body that was once in
the tomb was identified and so there is no longer anyone within the tomb
itself. It is empty.
Once I paid the $8.00 for parking I limped back to my
vehicle for my knee was acting up due to the hills. I spent the next 1.5 hours in traffic driving
back to Ashleigh’s’ parents’ house.
There I went to sleep at 21:30.
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