I am so thrilled to be spending this week at the beach with two of my best friends from college. It has been much too long. I have seen them each individually over the years but the last time we were all three together was 10 years ago at my dad’s funeral. The last time we did a girls’ only trip was probably for one of our bachelorette parties 20 years ago. Like I said, it’s been much too long. Someone asked me if I was nervous about the trip since it has been many years since we have all been together. I was a little surprised because it never even occurred to me to be nervous. I’ve been way too busy being ridiculously excited!
I met Mary Beth and Kari in college. We were all pledging Kappa Delta sorority and became fast and forever friends. (Picture is from a sorority formal!) They were bridesmaids in my wedding, and I in theirs. Much has happened in each of our lives since those days and I’m not sure if any of us would have predicted where we would be in life some 20 years later…many blessings and much happiness, but also plenty of disappointments and buckets of tears. As many friends do, we have gone through periods of losing touch, sometimes even for years. But as all true friends do, once we get back in touch, we pick up right where we left off. The friendship is familiar, supportive, comfortable, and easy.
When I think about my friends, I think about the saying…Make new friends but keep the old, for one is silver and the other is gold. All of my friends are priceless to me and they each hold a special place in my heart. They each fulfill a unique need in my life as well. Some I call when I need a good listener. Some I call when I need a good laugh. Some share a love of movies with me, while others share my love of books. Some I call when I want to be philosophical and deep, while other times I want a different friend because I know it will never get philosophical and deep! Some know the ins and outs of my day and love my kids as their own, while others do not really know my kids
at all, but know me in a way my current friends do not, because they grew up with me. Some I talk work with, while others may not even know what I do for a living, because our common ground is something much different. Some know me from the inside out, while others just know what they see. I need them all though. They each serve a purpose.
While I could not survive without my current friends, I feel a connection to my
childhood/college friends that can never be replaced. They know ME. Many don’t
know me as a wife or as a mother, they knew me at a time when my only identity
was just Paige. I miss that sometimes. Research shows that remembering happy times from your past is a great way to boost your happiness in the present. Maintaining friendships from all stages of your life can have a real effect on your current happiness. But let’s get real, it’s hard to do. I’ve done a terrible job. I can barely carve out time for a lunch date with my mom who lives in the same town!
This is why this trip is so important to me. It’s non-negotiable. No matter what came up last minute with my family, this trip was non-negotiable and they respected that. I need to do this more often. My high school friends and I are in the preliminary talks of trying to find a weekend to get together. We have not all been together for 20 years either. My wedding was the last time I saw some of them. I’ve already decided, that trip will be non-negotiable also. If it’s planned, I will be there.
So five days at the beach with two of my best friends! How lucky am I? And I’m
packing light…I’ve got a beach chair, a bathing suit, bottles of wine and portable wine glasses for the beach…what more do old friends need?!
I met Mary Beth and Kari in college. We were all pledging Kappa Delta sorority and became fast and forever friends. (Picture is from a sorority formal!) They were bridesmaids in my wedding, and I in theirs. Much has happened in each of our lives since those days and I’m not sure if any of us would have predicted where we would be in life some 20 years later…many blessings and much happiness, but also plenty of disappointments and buckets of tears. As many friends do, we have gone through periods of losing touch, sometimes even for years. But as all true friends do, once we get back in touch, we pick up right where we left off. The friendship is familiar, supportive, comfortable, and easy.
When I think about my friends, I think about the saying…Make new friends but keep the old, for one is silver and the other is gold. All of my friends are priceless to me and they each hold a special place in my heart. They each fulfill a unique need in my life as well. Some I call when I need a good listener. Some I call when I need a good laugh. Some share a love of movies with me, while others share my love of books. Some I call when I want to be philosophical and deep, while other times I want a different friend because I know it will never get philosophical and deep! Some know the ins and outs of my day and love my kids as their own, while others do not really know my kids
at all, but know me in a way my current friends do not, because they grew up with me. Some I talk work with, while others may not even know what I do for a living, because our common ground is something much different. Some know me from the inside out, while others just know what they see. I need them all though. They each serve a purpose.
While I could not survive without my current friends, I feel a connection to my
childhood/college friends that can never be replaced. They know ME. Many don’t
know me as a wife or as a mother, they knew me at a time when my only identity
was just Paige. I miss that sometimes. Research shows that remembering happy times from your past is a great way to boost your happiness in the present. Maintaining friendships from all stages of your life can have a real effect on your current happiness. But let’s get real, it’s hard to do. I’ve done a terrible job. I can barely carve out time for a lunch date with my mom who lives in the same town!
This is why this trip is so important to me. It’s non-negotiable. No matter what came up last minute with my family, this trip was non-negotiable and they respected that. I need to do this more often. My high school friends and I are in the preliminary talks of trying to find a weekend to get together. We have not all been together for 20 years either. My wedding was the last time I saw some of them. I’ve already decided, that trip will be non-negotiable also. If it’s planned, I will be there.
So five days at the beach with two of my best friends! How lucky am I? And I’m
packing light…I’ve got a beach chair, a bathing suit, bottles of wine and portable wine glasses for the beach…what more do old friends need?!
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