(A handful of my favorite women--Linda, Lara, Jenny, Lorri, Anna, and Katie)
It's 12:33am, and I just arrived home from Milwaukee. We drove to Milwaukee yesterday morning and drove back tonight; needless to say, it was a quick trip--but a necessary one. I am currently unable to sleep because I took 2 caffeine pills a couple of hours ago because I could feel my body fading slowly in the car, and obviously I didn't want to put anyone in my family in harm's way, so I took the hit and swallowed those dreaded pills that make my legs and hands jittery and my mind wired for hours. I'm writing right now in hopes that my brain will calm down enough to go to bed within the next hour.
I made the 36-hour trip to Milwaukee because a handful of dear friends were in town for the weekend. It wasn't completely logical, but it worked out, and the whole family had a lot of fun, me included.
I'm not one to really document the play by play moves of the journey because I don't think those things are really going to matter in 20 years, but the kids really did enjoy every minute at the petting farm and beach we went to, and they loved seeing Aunt Laurie more than anything else. It always makes me feel like I'm winning as a parent when my kids put visiting people above fun attractions.
The trip for me was mostly about the people. I don't really care about farms or beaches, even though both were excellent; I care about people, especially the ones that have left an impression on my heart or mind, and that's what this weekend was about for me--being with women that not only understand me but also make me want to be better than I generally am.
I'm not really sure how I've done it, but somehow I have created an intricate web of women who are smart, funny, talented, well spoken, successful, kind, generous, understanding, curious, and courageous. Not one of my female friends is alike, yet all have these qualities, and they shine bright like the sun. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to know them and, perhaps more importantly, be liked by them.
Each friendship--whether it was created during the dramatic teenage years, exciting college years, or stretching adult years--is one that I value completely. Women need women. We do. It's just a fact. And it's been worth every effort I've made to keep strong relationships with each of them.
I love the way you write! I completely agree with every thing you said. It was so good for me to be back in WI for 12 days, escape the mundane of every day life, and the stress of moving, and remind myself, in the company of dear, dear women who I consider precious friends, who I am beyond a wife and mother! I wish I could have talked to you for hours straight, but I loved my time sitting on the warm sands of Lake Michigan visiting with you.
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