Friendship: the ultimate adventure
So many things I’ve written over the past several weeks; none have made it to posting.
I’ve written about “knowing” – how sometimes you just know what you’re supposed to do (even if you don’t claim it because it doesn’t make logical sense and check all the boxes) when faced with a big choice. I’ve written about the grand emotional adventure I’ve been on for the second half of this year as I’ve invited myself into more intimacy. With myself. Weird, I know. I’ve written about getting over my fear and all the steps I took to make that happen. I’ve written about failure. And how it keeps happening to me. (See? I’ve even failed to post all this writing!)
Today, I’m writing about friendship and vowing to post. This one’s important to me. In all my wildest dreams of my year of adventure, I never anticipated friendship being the huge, welcome, warm-like-a-hug outcome of this year that it has been. Turns out, intentionally inviting people into your life makes for the very best adventure of all – new and stronger relationships!
I’m not just talking your regular, old, run-of-the-mill friendships, either. The women I’ve played with in the past year, both near and far – YOU, reading this – are good, deep, lasting friends. Here’s how I know.
These are amazing women who have:
Jumped in to teach the line dancing that I’d planned (and failed) for us all to learn from the experts on our first excursion out on the town
Hiked, paddleboarded, biked, skied, and driven miles to join me in my quests for fun
Allowed me to share their (her, really - just the one) toothbrush in a time of need for 3 straight days. Talk about intimacy! We are close now
Channeled their inner artist to paint a landscape scene on canvas according to instructions while sipping wine and listening to Taylor Swift with 25 strangers
Laughed and cried with me over all manner of tech challenges, spur of the moment decisions (like following a stranger across a snowy roof in pursuit of permission), and extreme efforts to push past our own limited skill sets — all resulting from the shoe-string budget and the surely-everything-is-figureoutable mindset that comes with starting a new business
Donned their best western wear and swung their partner (and many others) round and round on the square dance floor
Offered to shoo the mosquitoes from my backside as I relieved myself in the woods. Seriously. Now that’s a friend
Followed my lead, got their brave on, and read their own writing in public to total strangers
Endured – for over an hour, with a smile on their faces – performances by angry, oppressed - but rising up! - women, men and nonbinary persons, one after the other, during a poetry slam that I convinced us all would be fun
Woken up at 4am to gather with a bunch of other sleepy-eyed folks for a hike in the dark and the cold to see the sunrise over the lake and the city from high atop a mountain
Overcame their own fears and limitations – real ones (like backpacking 10 weeks after knee surgery!) – to try something new or simply say “yes” to my invitation
Who knew I would end up with this year-full of memories of amazing people willing to laugh with me when things don’t go as planned, encourage me in my questing and writing, celebrate victories, commiserate over failures and setbacks, or even just go along with me on my wacky adventure idea in the first place?
How blessed am I?!
So thanks to you – all of you – for coming along, both in spirit and in person, for the ride of my life. It’s been a rich and wonderful year because of your friendship. And it’s not quite over yet…
