The Importance of Girlfriends

I have felt often through the years since high school that a piece was missing.  

There is my boyfriend who became my wonderful husband and best friend. 

I am surrounded by caring family (though sometimes more than I wanna be), 

blessed with sister-in-laws I enjoy and love.

I worked my way through a couple of jobs until I found one I love 

and co-workers I fit with.

I have beautiful, smart kids to fuss over and  

thankfully they enjoy all the things I drag them along to do.  

I went away to school, came home, got married, 

made my house, putzed around with my hobbies...  

But I often have felt even when I am surrounded by all those people 

there is just something that doesn't feel like it clicks at times.

I started blogging in hopes that I would find that fit that I was looking for...

Those "kindred spirits" as Anne of Green Gables would say...  

And I have.  And I love connecting with you and hearing 

how much we like and live so much the same, 

but in a way, you are also intangible.  

I have no sisters and yet I was in an odd space where 

my mother is the oldest of 5 siblings and her youngest sister

is 18 years younger than her and only 2 years older than me.  

I was fortunate that my family stayed nearby and 

I spent many awesome summers crashing my grandparents - 

hanging out at the farm, riding horses, baling hay, playing in the country 

with my aunt and mostly being made to feel like I was 

one of the 5 sisters as much as I was a grandchild.  

On the flip side of that, it became a bit awkward as my aunt and I got older 

and hit that time when she was in high school 

and I was in middle school and not "cool" to be seen with.  

And our differences became more apparent 

and awareness of adult family issues grew 

and we grew farther and farther apart.

Enter high school...and those new "kindred spirits"...  

While I knew a lot of people and tagged along with 

a bunch of different groups, we had a main foursome 

that I felt that connection with. 

Not to say that we didn't have our share of spats, but we just clicked.  

With those girls, I could be silly and ugly and confide those teenage fears 

and struggles and the ugly things going on through my parents divorce 

and the crushes and the dreams.  

Without fear of judgment or rejection 

that I was not as perfect as I felt I was supposed to be...  

In that time when we are most self-conscious of every little thing 

- we had each other to be open with.  

And the last time all four were together was our graduation open houses.  

That summer, things happened so quickly and we were pulled 

to different corners of the world.  It all happened so suddenly 

I didn't even realize how far apart we were until I emerged 

from the fog of crisis' in my own life and realized they were all gone. 

The years passed.  Life happened.  

We made brief contact here and there at major life events 

like weddings and baby showers 

but didn't have the chance to really get together.  

And FaceBook happened and we were finally able to all find each other 

and sort of follow what was going on and found out that we still shared a lot.  

One happened to be right here all the time and our paths never crossed.  

Another moved home several years ago and we just 

never seemed to connect at the right times - 

each time we did it seemed that we jumped right back to the way things were.  

But its not the same catching up when you have the kids and the families around.  

Our fourth is still out of state and in the military 

but hoping to move back nearby within the next couple of years.

So after months of saying "we should" 

and then kids and commitments to everything else kept getting in the way, 

we finally set a date and a time and a place.  

Just us girls.  And we met and we hugged and laughed. 

We finished each others sentences and talked about the old things 

and the new things and everything.  

It was exactly like it was 16+ years ago.  

And we each had felt that piece missing so much.  

As women, we are so harsh and judgmental on each other and on ourselves.  

So we need those other women we click with 

so that we can vent and brainstorm and brag and dream 

and relax without having to explain why we feel that way 

or be cautioned on what we say and how we say it or who its about.  

Without having to worry that it will be shared somewhere it shouldn't be 

or that there will be repercussions 

or judgment on the way we feel.  

And so we can be reassured that we are not alone 

- that others are dealing with the same things and feeling the same way.

We have made a plan to make it more regular and to set the dates 

and to make us a priority so that we can have that piece that we need.  

To make us more complete.  

Not all of those plans are just the girls 

- some are things of mutual interest that we want to do 

with our families and spouses.  

It is so easy to put ourselves last in the list 

and eventually we just run out of us to give. 

Nothing can restore that sense of 

"its going to be OK" and "I'm OK" 

so much as your girlfriends.