Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I went for a walk with my friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer. She is faring pretty well with the pill she takes. So far no negative side effects. Today the sun came out, and we took our time stopping in front of landscaping we liked and admiring certain houses. Then we sat on the deck in her back yard and confessed we don't believe there will be any end to this covid threat. There will be other variants, maybe worse ones, and we will have to venture out eventually. My son's in-laws are going to Palm Springs for a month, and my friend leaves next week for Hawaii. We will take risks because otherwise we will be in permanent lockdown, like prisoners with electronic bracelets. I'm not sure what my big first risk will be, but I expect it will be traveling. Maybe to see the two grandchildren up north, or somewhere warm. The thing is, when I do this, I hope it is with a couple of other people, so that I will have social interactions. My daughter was constrained by the vulnerability of cancer and the covid, but she didn't live any longer because she was cautious, and perhaps she was past social interactions, but the choice was not hers. She ended up with me and her ex-husband and daughter, and not her close friends. Maybe that was because we would miss her the most, but it must have made it hard. I hope not.