Girlfriends! What would we do without them? Since I do not have any sisters, I think my girlfriends are that much more important to me. Growing up, I always envied my friends who had sisters. A built-in confidante so to speak. Even if they spent most of their time bickering and criticizing one another, they always knew they would be there for them....forever.
But, we all play the hands we're dealt and I have been lucky enough to have some of the most amazing women anywhere as my dearest friends. Just last week, my closest friend Peggy was here in Ontario visiting her folks. She lives in Austin, Texas now but the distance doesn't change the fact that she is and always will be the first person I call or email with good news, bad news, funny news, non-news and just about any news at all for that matter. We only had one day together while she was here last week. We spent it on the golf course, something we have been doing with our time together for the last few years now. I tend to have a lousy golf game when I am with her because we're too focused on yapping and not focused enough on golf. We're "not committed" to the shots my husband would say.
But we are committed to each other's well being and that's more important than landing a perfect wedge to the green. Although she is my BFF, my other girlfriends are important too. There are the friends I see regularly - the one's I call for lunch, for a walk, for shopping, or just to catch up. I divvy some friends up into definable groups, like my tennis friends, my book club friends, the friend's of my daughter's mothers,old friends, neighbourhood friends and work friends. It helps to keep them all straight in my mind and when I'm talking about them to someone. "Oh, she is a great friend of mine - we play tennis together." That sort of thing.
I got a nice note this morning from one of my "old friends" though I don't know if I like that handle. Although Linda is an "old friend", she is not that old and she is still my friend. Calling her an "old friend" almost sounds like she used to be my friend but isn't anymore. Maybe a "friend from another decade of my life" would be more appropriate. In any case we got together for lunch a few weeks back and had so much fun recalling our adventures together in Banff and Hawaii and Fiji and Australia and New Zealand, we literally laughed till we cried and it was as though no time had passed since we last saw each other. Now she reads my blog regularly and says it keeps her in touch with my life, which although we live in different cities, is more similar than not. Must be the age. She is facing an empty nest this fall (as I will in 3 short years) as both of her girls head off to university and I think now would be a good time for me to make the effort to see her more, lest things get too quiet down there in her neck of the woods. We'd have no trouble stirring up a little noise. Still.
I could tell a different story about each one of my friends, but that would take me more time than I have here today. You all know who you are and in case I have never told you, I appreciate all of you and thank you for your friendships. Everyone should be so lucky.
Who needs a sister when I've got all of you?
Friday, July 10, 2009
You Gotta Have Friends
Girlfriends! What would we do without them? Since I do not have any sisters, I think my girlfriends are that much more important to me. Growing up, I always envied my friends who had sisters. A built-in confidante so to speak. Even if they spent most of their time bickering and criticizing one another, they always knew they would be there for them....forever.
But, we all play the hands we're dealt and I have been lucky enough to have some of the most amazing women anywhere as my dearest friends. Just last week, my closest friend Peggy was here in Ontario visiting her folks. She lives in Austin, Texas now but the distance doesn't change the fact that she is and always will be the first person I call or email with good news, bad news, funny news, non-news and just about any news at all for that matter. We only had one day together while she was here last week. We spent it on the golf course, something we have been doing with our time together for the last few years now. I tend to have a lousy golf game when I am with her because we're too focused on yapping and not focused enough on golf. We're "not committed" to the shots my husband would say.
But we are committed to each other's well being and that's more important than landing a perfect wedge to the green. Although she is my BFF, my other girlfriends are important too. There are the friends I see regularly - the one's I call for lunch, for a walk, for shopping, or just to catch up. I divvy some friends up into definable groups, like my tennis friends, my book club friends, the friend's of my daughter's mothers,old friends, neighbourhood friends and work friends. It helps to keep them all straight in my mind and when I'm talking about them to someone. "Oh, she is a great friend of mine - we play tennis together." That sort of thing.
I got a nice note this morning from one of my "old friends" though I don't know if I like that handle. Although Linda is an "old friend", she is not that old and she is still my friend. Calling her an "old friend" almost sounds like she used to be my friend but isn't anymore. Maybe a "friend from another decade of my life" would be more appropriate. In any case we got together for lunch a few weeks back and had so much fun recalling our adventures together in Banff and Hawaii and Fiji and Australia and New Zealand, we literally laughed till we cried and it was as though no time had passed since we last saw each other. Now she reads my blog regularly and says it keeps her in touch with my life, which although we live in different cities, is more similar than not. Must be the age. She is facing an empty nest this fall (as I will in 3 short years) as both of her girls head off to university and I think now would be a good time for me to make the effort to see her more, lest things get too quiet down there in her neck of the woods. We'd have no trouble stirring up a little noise. Still.
I could tell a different story about each one of my friends, but that would take me more time than I have here today. You all know who you are and in case I have never told you, I appreciate all of you and thank you for your friendships. Everyone should be so lucky.
Who needs a sister when I've got all of you?
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