Ro Wells Travel

Up until this point I have written solely about my travelling motivations and experiences. But right now I have a different story to tell. Today marks exactly one year since Catherine, one of my best friends, died. To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I was going to post this or not. I’m still not sure if I should or not. I wrote this as a way of trying to process how I felt, more than with the intention of sharing it. However, here goes.

The last time I saw Catherine was New Year’s Eve 2023. And she was so full of life. A few of us had gathered at one of our friend’s houses for chilli and games. In true Catherine fashion, she rocked up (slightly late) in a pair of dungarees with her beloved dog Bear by her side. We ate dinner, we played games, we laughed, we hugged, we celebrated the New Year and said “Fuck you” to all the shite that 2022 had thrown our way. Catherine was so excited for 2023. She’d secured a new lecturing job, she was almost finished writing her PhD thesis, she had finally stepped away from a job which, although she loved the work, was taking a huge toll on her. She had found a new house and was moving in, her boys were doing amazingly well and life was looking like it was finally going her way.

And then the unthinkable happened just nineteen days later. She died. It completely knocked all of us who knew and loved her off balance. Catherine’s squad. None of us were expecting it. None of us knew how to deal with it.

It’s been 365 days since I last saw her but barely a day has gone by where I haven’t thought of her, or had her guidance or advice shape me in some way. I miss the shit out of her. She was an incredible force of nature. She loved to surf, she loved to be by sea. So today I took myself for a walk to Sunset Beach in Vancouver, B.C. It was cold, rainy, very grey and covered in snow. She would have loved it. She was never one to let a bit of bad weather get in the way of her getting to the beach. I stood there for a while, watching the gentle waves lapping against the sand, feeling an incredible sense of peace. I know she was with me in that moment. I could literally picture her sat on the rock next to me with her dog Bear by her side. And that’s when the tears started to fall. I didn’t stop them, nor did I want to try to.

The tears are an outpouring of the love I have for Catherine. She was one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the joy to meet. I am unbelievably lucky to have had her in my life, even if that time was cut short. She brought so much to my life, and to the lives of our group of friends. We all loved her dearly and we all still feel her loss keenly. So I will laugh and I will cry as I remember her. Her vibrancy, her positivity, her energy, her light, her smile, her support and her love. I miss you, Catherine.