“…there was just something really life-affirming about celebrating somebody’s hundredth birthday”

The occasion was my friend, her father turned 100 in May. I mean, like a week ago in May and they had a hundredth birthday party for him, with a lot of guests, there were over a hundred people there, they had good food, and polish dancers, and some storytelling, and it was just a really fabulous day. It’s interesting with the pandemic because they had planned this last year to be his 99th party and then, of course, we know, what happened with pandemic. There’s no way they could have a party. And they thought well maybe we can have it in a year’s time so they, of course, are praying that their dad lives for another year. You have to get him through the pandemic, and also we’re hopeful that, I mean they had to start making reservations and everything. Well before we were completely sure how open we would be,whether it would be okay to have a party, but they went ahead and did it, and it worked out really well because I was vaccinated, the friends that I had there were vaccinated, and I’m pretty sure all of the birthday boy’s friends were vaccinated since they were all a lot older and, you know, among the first eligible. You know it was really special. I actually don’t know my friend’s Dad that well, I mean I’ve met him a few times but I’ve known her for like twenty years. So I certainly know about her family and uh– so there was just something really life-affirming about celebrating somebody’s hundredth birthday, and I thought how many– I’ve never been invited to a hundredth birthday party before. I may never get invited to one again. I don’t know. So it was really special and it was special to see him.He had come through this terrible year, like we all had. Many of his friends and relatives were there and, I was just like I said, it was just really life-affirming.