Old Friends are the Best

In June 2002, I joined a statewide board of directors.  Forty-five young lawyers from across the state made up that group of idealists and drivers and dreamers and leaders.  I had no idea then how it would change my life.

In that group were mentors and romances and bosses but most importantly some best girlfriends.  {Old friends in duration, not age.}

One of those, my best friend still here in Houston, drove the two of us over to San Antonio to see another one for the weekend.

We laughed so hard. (You can probably tell.  I threw my head back in laughter, or doubled over, more times than photographed!)

I am still sore.

We did some work, but mostly we hung out.  We caught up.  Without the daily interruptions of travel and work and kids and family and community events.  We were out of our cities and could hang, uninterrupted, together.  We each shared our hard updates, challenges we were facing, and our work updates, but then we left the rest of the time for going back to being the Jeep Chicks.

It’s who we were back then and who we still are when, and only when, we’re together (photograph of a t-shirt made long ago).

We might be a little older, but nothing had changed.  One of them commented how nice it is when you can pick up exactly where you left off even after a year apart.  Or more.

We were the same messes.  Swapping inside jokes.  Talking smack (far more colorful than the conversation saved for casual friends).  Reliving the tallest of our tales together and laughing until we cried.  We ate great food slowly as we tried to stretch the time knowing it would take many months to happen again.

These two have seen me (and vice versa) through a whole lot of ages and stages.  And I don’t know about you, but the longer I live, the longer it takes to develop deep friendships.  Maybe because we’ve lived more life or maybe because our lives are so hectic.  So the gift of a long-tenured friendship becomes more precious.  You value each other oddities, honestly critique each other’s outfits, and are unimpressed by who everyone’s become (you are crazy proud of the accomplishments of the others, but you aren’t breathlessly oh you’re amazing, how do you do it, because you are too busy cracking up at the spinach in her teeth).

I know I’ve said it a million times, but as hard as women can be on each other, there is no greater gift than awesome time-tested friendships.  If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the girlfriend who holds all your stories, then find a time in this new year to meet face to face.  Time where you can hug and laugh and eat and do absolutely nothing productive for a few hours (or day or two).

I loved coming home tonight.  I kissed and hugged my people longer than usual and cuddled at bedtime more than usual because I’d been filled back up so I could give more away.