From JuJu with Love

Some trips don’t need months of planning or exotic destinations. Sometimes all it takes is a free weekend, a good friend, and a little spontaneity.

In 2019, my friend Karen and I decided to take a quick weekend trip to Canada. Karen had actually started out as my manager at my last job, but even though I haven’t worked in eighteen years, our friendship stuck.

We started in Windsor, Ontario, where we had tickets to see Anderson Cooper speak. I believe it was part of a book tour, though I’ll have to double-check with Karen. I’ve always had a little crush on him — even if I’m definitely not his type — but that’s beside the point.

We had dinner, went to his talk, and spent the night in Windsor. The next morning we got up early and drove to Toronto, where we had theater tickets for both a matinee and an evening performance.

It turned into one of my favorite theater days ever. We saw Dear Evan Hansen and Come From Away, two shows that still rank among my all-time favorites. Sitting in a theater all day, sharing shows you love with a good friend, is about as perfect as a day gets.

We stayed overnight in Toronto, and the next morning my friend Roger met us for breakfast near our hotel. Roger lives in downtown Toronto and rides his bike everywhere — even in March when it’s freezing. At the time he hosted Toronto’s morning news program, Breakfast Television, and I remember laughing because as we walked down the street, people kept recognizing him. At one point, a bus rolled by with his face on a billboard on the side.

To me he was just Roger. Seeing strangers recognize him was funny, but he handled it so casually and humbly, like it was no big deal.

From there, Karen and I got back in the car and drove 30 minutes north to meet three of my travel girlfriends — Susan, Phyllis, and Jennifer — for lunch at a Jewish deli. It felt like a reunion of completely different parts of my life, all intersecting in one weekend.

And then Karen and I got back in the car and drove home.

It wasn’t a big trip. Just a weekend away. But somehow it became one of those memories that sticks — theater, laughter, friends from different chapters, and the simple joy of being together.

Another reminder that sometimes the best memories come from the smallest adventures.

From Juju with love 💙🇨🇦