I visited with an old friend at a nearby park. She is warm and caring and has endured life hardships. It's helped her be a stronger and happier person. She is a survivor and I admire that.
After the boys had done an incredible job with their swim lessons, I waited for my friend, Chelley, to get home so we could visit for a while. She is sweet and funny and I can talk to her about anything. We relate in many ways, specifically on parenting and life with little boys.
Afterwards, I met my step-daughter, Haley, for coffee and dinner. Spending time with Haley is easy and fun. We make ridiculous jokes together, that's our thing. Somehow, she has transformed from my young daughter to a friend, whose time I truly enjoy. She reminds me of my young self in so many ways and I find I relate to her in new ways as she gets older. She will be entering college soon, and I look forward to the woman and friend she will become one day.
This evening I spoke on the phone to a long time girlfriend from New York. We laughed and shared and listened. It is always so good to hear what she's up to, our lives are polar opposite. She manages her own public relations company, while I manage a home full of little men. She is a firecracker and I love that about her. I can be brutally honest with her and she never gets mad.
Seeing or chatting with four friends all in one day helped me reflect on a few things. They each came into my life at different times, and they are all very different people, yet I adore each one of them for who they are. Spending time together is easy and it makes me happy. No matter where I am in life I will have a connection with each of them.
I also have friends who I cherish, but for some reason our lives have drifted apart. I have wonderful memories of time spent together. Next weekend I will be attending a fabulous New York wedding with college friends. Some I have not seen in over ten years, it will be a happy reunion. I suspect it will be as if no time has passed. Although, I am more or less the same person I was in college and look much the same, I see myself very differently and feel I am a happier, more confident individual. I truly hope after next weekend, I do a better job staying in touch with those I feel close to.
I will admit, I can't help but wonder will anyone I see, next weekend, find my current living arrangement strange? Will I be judged for it? I am one hundred percent okay with my life, but I have endured some judgment by few. I am secure with my life decisions, and expect understanding. Our life is different, and there is nothing wrong with being different.
I eventually want to turn my blog into a book for my boys to read when they are older. I want them to understand how their mother perceived them at a young age and what an important role their childhood played in my life.
One day they too will be in college all grown up, making a life for themselves. The most important lesson I can teach my sons, to take them through life, is that it is okay to be different and to love others for their differences. Kindness is a virtue. One which takes a life time to develop and master.
I love all my friends, every beautiful bit of them. I think they love me too, every last whacky bit of me. They all keep me smiling and in return, I can only hope, I give back as much as they give to me.
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