a few thoughts on friendship

Yesterday I dropped my little girl off at mom's house and headed south for a two hour drive to Seattle to see the two lovely faces pictured above. In the morning I had a few heart palpitations. Was I ready to spend a whole day apart from my baby? Did I remember to pack everything she needs? Did I go over every painstaking detail with my mom? (Note: My mom is in fact a mom in her own right and did her best not to roll her eyes repeatedly as I, newbie/annoying mom gave her a lengthy list of painfully obvious instructions. "Okay dear, so when she poops she gets a diaper, got it.") But as soon as I was on the highway, mega coffee in hand, music cranked, I thought, I can do this. I should do this. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't completely transported back to my independent self. I had a mini photo album of my baby in my purse, you know, just in case the border guard had a few moments to spare.  As soon as I saw my friend's faces, I knew I had made the right choice by going. They had a fun filled day planned for us: brunch, shopping, pedicures, my favourite triathlon. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had taken time out, just for me. The whole day felt like such an amazing treat. (Except to the poor woman who handled my feet during the pedicure. She couldn't report her day as being a treat. She is probably still curled up in a ball somewhere, trying to find her happy place after seeing my gnarled feet). I really value any facetime I get with friends these days. People have to be special for me to dedicate time away from my family and these women are, and then some. What does friendship mean to you? Do you have friends for different aspects of your life? Friends you play sports with, friends you work with, friends you double date with, friends you travel with, friends you drink with, friends you share hobbies with, friends you really open up with? Do you have a big circle of friends who know you a little or a small select few who know you a lot? Do you let them know the real you, flaws and all? When it comes down to it, I think it's pretty simple: you cheer one another on while you shape your own lives, you lend each other a hand when someone falls down and you appreciate that somehow, somewhere, your paths intersected. When I drove home later that evening, I was greeted by my little girl's smiling face and I hugged her with all my might. I felt like she was getting a rejuvenated momma with, let's face it, toes she no longer has to fear.