Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

I guess a lot of people would fall into this category, since I have kept in touch with literally no one from high school or college. I viewed school as a catalyst to get me where I wanted to go, and was not to keen on the social aspect. I had friends in classes, and friends that I got to know pretty well, but it was fairly easy to move on when our schedules changed or when we graduated. I look at someone like my partner teacher Teri, who still has regular lunches and get togethers with her sorority sisters from college 30 years ago. She still goes to the same bunco group from when she was having babies herself, and now they are all becoming grandmas together. I know that I am not the type to get close to a lot of people at the same time, to need to be with people all the time, to need to be the center of attention. Part of me is envious of that support group and that history.

The person that stands out the most is Mrs. Palicki. She was my tough as nails, 5 ft. 1 inch, will-give-you-an-F-if-you-look-at-me-wrong Junior Year English teacher, and I loved her. She graded tough, gave us tests that were too hard on purpose, and gave us thought provoking readings and class discussions (existentialism, anyone?) I became her teacher's aide my senior year and got to spend a lot of time with her one on one in the English office. We got together once of twice a year after that, just to catch up. I would definitely consider her my mentor, that person who survived many years in the career field of my choosing, who was able to commiserate and enlighten, sympathize and encourage. I was one of handful of the many students she touched over the years who was privileged enough to be invited to her retirement party, which was a formal, jazz band in the living room and hor d'ouvres on the patio kind of affair. Needless to say, this was one of the classiest nights of my life.

I have not seen or heard from her in a few years. I know that her husband (Mr. Palicki, who was my senior year AP English teacher, and was another one of my favorites) has Parkinson's and that she was thinking about going back to school to get her master's in Creative Writing. Maybe they are busy. I still think of her as that intimidating, unpredictably tough teacher, and that makes me wary of approaching her.

I think of her often, and know that her influence on me will be lasting, even if I am not brave enough to connect with her again.