Love: My People

I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return. - Stephen Schwartz

This weekend was extremely laid back and just took things as they came. My kids are with their dad for a couple of weeks. The house gets very quiet when they are gone for an extended time. No video games or YouTube around the house or random ‘mom I have to tell you something.’ It went from a weekend of dread for being lonely into a weekend of what I truly needed. I slept, cooked, worked out and spent time with some of my favorite people. I reconnected with who I am again. Being a mom, corporate manager, working towards triathlon goals, being a friend, sister, aunt, it doesn’t leave a ton of time for just me. Instead of trying to fill my Saturday and Sunday with things to do, I just did what I wanted. Good grief! Why do I not do this more often!!

Out of the beautiful things I did for myself, I had some of the best conversations this weekend. Friday night, I had dinner with a dear friend. Our lives have being running parallel for a few years now. Both experienced the loss of our marriages and moving forward. Thankfully, we have been there for each other through it all! Nearly 13 years strong! Our conversations are so meaningful. They have the depth that is needed for both of us. When you are raising children and still trying to move forward and create a life for yourself, it can be challenging. Damn! I am so proud of both of us. We may have a low moment here or there, but it’s always moving forward. She stopped by on Sunday and gave me a huge compliment. She told me that she loves coming to my house. She said it just feels cozy and homey. That is exactly what I want everyone to feel when they walk in my home. Welcomed and meant to be there!

I spent Sunday afternoon with another dear friend. We have been going on treasure hunts for a few weeks now. We will take a couple of hours and go thrift shopping. Those are some of the best days! Wandering around seeing all the odds and ends that other people no longer want. We have found some beautiful items that found new places in our homes. Yesterday in particular was a lot of fun. We started at a triathlon store. My dear friend has talked me into doing a full Ironman triathlon next year. I was only intending on doing a half Ironman, but her logic was we’ll if we are already going halfway why not do the whole thing? Never mind that I had talked her into exploring the world of triathlon just to have a new experience. She’s a runner like me. She’s an endurance runner with marathons and a couple of 50k’s in her bag. Watching her sit on a bike for the first time was amazing! A couple of details missing are that she doesn’t have a road bike or swims very often. Just minor details. Training with fix the swim and a purchase will fix the bike issue. I love being on this journey with her. We’ve been friends for several months now. Our friendship is such that it feels that she’s always been here.

As we finished up our triathlon and thrifting fun, it was off to eat and have a cocktail. Another thing that I just adore about the relationship is the conversations we have. The depth to which we go. There is nothing shallow here. It is purely heart felt conversations. Being vulnerable with another person is scary. You never want to feel judged or not enough. At least I don’t. The beauty of these women are that I never feel judged. I am enough. The way we are jointly able to fill our cup through the time spent together is beautiful. Whether we are running, biking, swimming, steaming, eating or whatever the occasion is we are just showing each other who we truly are. The heartbreaks, dreams, goals, it is all exposed. Never once have I ever felt less than in their presence. It is absolutely living my most authentic self.

I can never imagine going back to a life I once led. It was empty and lonely. I still have moments of lonely. Intuitively, a few moments later my phone dings with a text asking what I’m doing or want to met up for whatever adventure awaits. Loving the life you are in even if it is very different than you thought is one of my biggest growth moments. Living in the past is no more. Only in the present and future. The amount of love that I feel with my children and friends is humbling. I live in gratitude for these people that we have the pleasure of crossing paths and intertwining our lives with. This life is a beautiful messy adventure! I am so excited to see what happens next!