The Importance of Girlfriends

“Your circle should want you to win.  Your circle should clap the loudest when you have good news.  If they don’t, get a new circle.”

I just saw that quote on Facebook.  Truer words have not been spoken.  I have to brag about my “gal pals” a bit right now.  These past 2 years have been…well, interesting.  I have not written too much on my blog because there was so much going on and I just could not wrap my head around things, or I could and just couldn’t find the right words without coming off as an angry bitch.

2 years ago, I told my (soon to be ex) husband that I wanted a divorce.  Things hadn’t been right for a long time.  I won’t go into semantics or who was right or who was wrong.  It doesn’t matter.  This post isn’t about that.  When I make that decision, I didn’t make it quickly or easily.  It was a very hard decision to make.  And that is all I will say about it.

Now, onto the real reason for my post.  When all of this started, I wasn’t sure who would take the news well, or who would inevitably turn their back on me.  I had people who did both.  That’s ok.  Those that didn’t want me in their lives because of whatever reason, I’m ok with that.  I hope that your lives are great, even if you don’t want me to be a part of it.  This post is about the ones who stayed.  The ones who had my back and held my hand (proverbially and literally.)

There is a saying that if you find one great friend in your life, you’re lucky.  Well, I have 6.  Yeah, 6 of them!!  They are the most amazing people.  Some of them I didn’t know that long, but they have become such an important part of my life that I don’t know what I would do without them.  I would name them all by name, but I think that they would kill me if I did.  So, I’m just going to talk about all 6 of them at once. 

These women have been there to put their arms around me, hug me tight and not let go.  They have taught me the value of true friendship and they have also helped me to get back to a good place.  I’m still working on myself, and I know that they’re in my corner every step of the way.  And they all know (or I hope that they know,) that I’ve got their backs as well. 

You see, after the initial bomb was dropped, I kind of was shell shocked myself.  I was scared to death.  I had been a stay at home mom for 8 years.  I had started working part time about 4 ½ months before, and it definitely wasn’t enough to make a living…especially not with 2 kids.  The job hunt was exhausting.  Yet, these women (well, 5 of them at that point…number 6 came into play later) cheered me on for every single interview I went on.  They celebrated when I got a call to go in for an interview, and they shared in my disappointment when I didn’t get those jobs…and there were a lot.  I now work with one of these amazing women and she’s just as awesome at work as she is outside of work.

When things were really bad, they let me cry.  When things started to look up, they were right there, cheering me on, never wavering in their unrelenting support.  Girls nights out are always some of my favorite nights with these ladies.  Whether it’s an escape room, going to a concert, listening to live music, finding “Hoodie Jesus” (don’t ask,) or just having a game night and chilling out at someone’s house.  I have had countless memories with these women that make me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud when I think of them.

Each of them are different in their own ways, but they are each special to me for so many reasons.  They are my team, my companions in battle in this crazy world.  Together, we can conquer anything. 

They have been there for me at my lowest points, and they are still there for me as I’m climbing the mountain to my highest points.  I’m not going to say they’re helping me.  We’re all helping each other.  They don’t all know each other, and I hope that they will all meet at some point (I’m pretty sure that they will.) 

These women are such an integral part of my life and I plan on keeping them around for a long time, as long as they will have me in their lives.  These last 2 years have been some of the hardest of my life, but with them by my side, it wasn’t as hard as it could have been.  They never let me give up, and there were definitely times where I wanted to.  If I even looked like I was thinking of it, they were there to talk some sense into me and make me realize just how far I’ve come…and I have definitely come a long way.

So, to my besties, and you know who you are.  I love each of you wonderful, crazy women so much.  You mean the world to me.  You are my rocks.  I am eternally grateful for your love and support.  The best is yet to come for all of us and I can’t wait to experience it with all of you standing with me.  You’re the most amazing people I’ve ever met.  I am so thankful for whatever forces at work putting you in my path and that you all decided to skip down that path with me (probably singing while we’re skipping too.)  I love each & every one of you from the bottom of my heart.  You have shown me what true friendship is and I treasure each of you.

Now, when I get my own place…epic game night at my place!