it's been said that you can't choose your family. God sends you to some lucky family and that's it. you kind of get no say in the matter. but there's a whole different kind of family. the non-blood sharing kind. and that's the kind that really matters. if you know me, you'll know that i haven't always had the best relationship with my family. and over the last eight years or so, the rift has only gotten bigger. don't get me wrong, love my family to death. but sometimes, well most times, we don't get along. i've always been that kid that didn't really fit in. i mean, you name a subject, topic, or trait and my family and i are consistently different. but you can't change that, right? so you create your own family.
these girls. they are my family.
from left to right:
me. susan. lauren. maggie.
i met them my freshman year at cornish. didn't know anyone. we're all vocalists. susan was the classical voice major. while lauren, maggie and i were jazz heads. let lauren tell it, she knew we were destined to be friends when i announced at the end of class that i had to fart really bad. lol i don't know how we all came to be best friends, or even when the moment came when i realized they were my girls. but it all just clicked. and it all works.
i, as with most girls, have a hard time making and keeping female friends. girls, by nature, tend to be catty, self-centered, and always out on a personal agenda. but not these girls. from day one, we've always kept it real with each other. and i don't just mean always being honest. i'm talking...
"you have something in your teeth"
"that dress DOES make your ass look big"
"sometimes bad things happen. sometimes it's because of your bad choices"
"let me tell you a story...so this bitch..."
"can i just say..."
"honey, i love you....but..."
and
"you GUYS...."
i honestly don't know what i'd do without these girls. they're the only people, on the planet, i can go to with any problem and know that i'll get honest, real, and loving feedback. as a person who responds best to loving words, they speak my love language loud and clear. out of the four of us, i'm probably the one who's made the greatest life changes and biggest mistakes in the last eight years. yea, that's just my style. and every. single. time....they're right there, holding my hand...telling me that they love me, they understand and they support me no matter what. the funniest part is i'm the definition of an ASKHOLE. what's that? well, it's a person who constantly asks for advice and then does the exact opposite EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. ask them. they'll tell you. and not ONCE have they said, "i told you so." not once. do you know how rare that is?
i can be myself with these girls. i can tell my lame jokes, share my inappropriate stories, eat like the fat kid i am, say all the stuff i'm afraid to say out loud, and just be the big weirdo i am. and we're all like that. it's a safe place. the sheer fact that our friendship has lasted and thrived in the last eight years is phenomenal to me. i won't lie, when we graduated from college and started heading in our own directions....i worried. i worried that not seeing each other on a daily basis would affect our bond. but it really hasn't. the greatest friends are the ones you don't have to see every day, but nothing changes when you do see each other. social media has been a vital part in keeping us updated with the everyday happenings of each others lives. our "girls nights" happen every few months or so. and every time, we meet up with food and alcohol, sit around a table {either at someone's house or in our favorite restaurants} and spend the next few hours laughing, telling stories and jokes, sometimes crying, and just being girls. it's. the. best.
currently we're all spread out over the country. susan is in california chasing her music dreams. maggie is teaching children and kicking ass in the fitness realm. lauren is in texas, just a few hours from me, being an awesome caretaker for her grandmother, and i'm here in texas too trying to navigate the new turn my life is taking. i miss them so much. especially when i'm reminded that i don't know anyone in this new city or when something happens and i just really need a girl's night and some of lauren's amazing food.
i hope and pray my kids meet friends like them. everyone deserves to have a couple close friends that mean the world to them. and i'm so blessed and honored that they love me and consider me their friend and sister.
psst. i'm totally tearing up right now.
to my girls,
i love you with every fiber of my soul. soul sisters...yep, that's who you are to me. i think it's a good thing we're not related {i mean...can you imagine our parents and how insane they'd be having the four of US as daughters...yeesh?!} but i sometimes... *cough* often....wish you were my bio- family. i thank God and the universe every day for our paths crossing back at The Corn. we've been through a lot together and we've weathered a ton of storms as a group. thank you for being my shoulder to cry on, accepting my farts, listening to my inappropriate stories, and helping me get fat on delicious food. you have played a critical role in helping me find "my voice". you stood by me while i was the immature 17,18, 19, 20,...etc. year old that i was. and hopefully now you ladies think i'm a bit more put together and mature. you love my children as if they were your own and your patience with them has been amazing. i'm excited to see all of our lives change and grown and to see our friendship and bond deepen and grow as well. i love you girls. so so freaking much.
aaaand...
duuuuuuuuh. duuuuuuuuuh. duh duh duuuh ba duuuuh. <----i hope you know what song i just hummed. lol
CFK. for life!
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