Priority of Friendship
Connecting with old friends is the biggest blessing to me whenever we travel. We talk to our families often, and of course we love them so much...but if an old friend & I are in the same vicinity, it feels like an absolute sin to miss getting together. The more friends I get to see on a trip, the more worth it it feels!!!
I hadn't seen Marcus in person in 16 years, since he & JB graduated from our college. (He & JB were fraternity brothers & football teammates, and he & I became friends, even before I met JB! :-)) We've led completely opposite post-grad lives - he's taught English in South Korea, Vietnam, & Saudi Arabia - and we've talked over FB about our paths. I am living my absolute dream life...but I have (& always will have) a passion for international travel. He confided that when he sees our family football pics & youth football stories, he wonders if he's missing out on that aspect; I told him my heartstrings tug whenever he posts about his adventures abroad. We're both living the best lives for each of us, but we remind each other of dreams to not let go of. We met up at a Sbux in Charlotte and chatted for a few hours in person like no time had passed last Saturday:
Three days later, he was on a plane to Thailand for his next teaching assignment abroad; he'll probably be there for a couple years. I am *so grateful* our travel paths between Saudi Arabia, Texas, & Thailand intersected at the same time in CLT and that we made it a priority to share a few hours together, talking about what "home" is for us now.
I also got to meet-up with my middle & high school BFFs. I had an all-day yoga+shopping girls day with Wendy one Saturday - we took a yin yoga class, we found consignment Lilly Pulitzer, we scored Gelish nail polish deals at Sally, we tried on tons of clothes together, & we got to play each other's therapist all day ;-) without ever worrying that we "really should be getting back". I can't thank my parents enough for giving us that BFF time with no strings attached!!! Priceless. We also got our kids together with our BFF, Christa, & her kids one Sunday for a big supper + playtime together:
It thrilled me to pieces that our kids love playing with each other so much. Will & Annelise have always called Wendy's son, Alex, their cousin. (He is. I'll contradict anyone who says otherwise!) They really connected with Christa's children this time, too. Kynzie & Annelise bonded over cheer, tumbling, nail polish, and Polyvore, and Will & Carter are now Minecraft BFFs. I love that as our kids gets older, they can connect more & more on their own, too.
In this same "priority of friendship" vein, as soon as we got back to Texas Friday, my sweet yogi friend drove right over! She moved away to Phoenix a year ago and was only back here visiting through that night. She made it a priority not to miss me, even though we were only in the same place for a few hours, and now I have her beautiful henna design on my hand to keep her close for a couple weeks:
I hadn't seen Marcus in person in 16 years, since he & JB graduated from our college. (He & JB were fraternity brothers & football teammates, and he & I became friends, even before I met JB! :-)) We've led completely opposite post-grad lives - he's taught English in South Korea, Vietnam, & Saudi Arabia - and we've talked over FB about our paths. I am living my absolute dream life...but I have (& always will have) a passion for international travel. He confided that when he sees our family football pics & youth football stories, he wonders if he's missing out on that aspect; I told him my heartstrings tug whenever he posts about his adventures abroad. We're both living the best lives for each of us, but we remind each other of dreams to not let go of. We met up at a Sbux in Charlotte and chatted for a few hours in person like no time had passed last Saturday:
I also got to meet-up with my middle & high school BFFs. I had an all-day yoga+shopping girls day with Wendy one Saturday - we took a yin yoga class, we found consignment Lilly Pulitzer, we scored Gelish nail polish deals at Sally, we tried on tons of clothes together, & we got to play each other's therapist all day ;-) without ever worrying that we "really should be getting back". I can't thank my parents enough for giving us that BFF time with no strings attached!!! Priceless. We also got our kids together with our BFF, Christa, & her kids one Sunday for a big supper + playtime together:
In this same "priority of friendship" vein, as soon as we got back to Texas Friday, my sweet yogi friend drove right over! She moved away to Phoenix a year ago and was only back here visiting through that night. She made it a priority not to miss me, even though we were only in the same place for a few hours, and now I have her beautiful henna design on my hand to keep her close for a couple weeks:
What special times with friends!!
ReplyDeleteI love catching up with friends, as if no time has passed!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I was at a consignment store at Eastern Market (DC version) today, and saw *multiple* LP dresses, and totally thought of you! I had to explain to my friend what she is, because she'd never heard of her.
Catching up with friends means so much to me, b/c we've had to leave so many behind with every move. My friends who have never moved don't see it as as big of a priority, which I find interesting.
ReplyDeleteAwww, yay for LP, Heather!!! :-D LOVE!!!