A month or so ago, who can remember, I got together with my girlfriends for a much needed girls night out. We sat there at our roundtable dinner, sans all things resembling responsibility i.e. kids, husbands, bosses, business partners and for the most part cell phones and talked endlessly about what has been happening in our lives. The five of us are quite a group so if you will indulge me for just a moment, I would like to brag on my friends a bit.
One of our group came back for a visit from her home in Florida which prompted our little get together. This woman is a rock star in her career having recently been promoted to CFO of a big hospital in Florida just a few short miles from the beach. It’s not enough she is the smartest, most hardworking career woman I know, she also wears great shoes, has phenomenal style and is a moral compass for all things in my life. She also happens to be Harper’s godmother and my best friend. She is one I turn to when I am in need of guidance on matters of the heart, career, finance or anything else that happens to come my way. She is the person I discovered my love of quilting with and I am still in denial that she moved three years ago. It seems the shock of her announcement will never go away. Every time I see a blue VW beetle I automatically look to see if it is her. Needless to say, it isn’t and I never fail to be disappointed.
Another is a rock star entrepreneur who recently retired at an early age (I won’t state her age out of respect, but suffice it say we were not born that far apart). She recently had her second baby girl and has become a stay at home mom, for now. I say for now, because I know this girl and she is not one to sit back and take it easy. She bought a bar 10 years ago after a night out with me on the town and has become an expert on how to successfully buy, manage and build an empire in the night club industry without, to my knowledge ever having served a cocktail before. I met her during her stint in healthcare which she luckily escaped. I admire her ability to turn a good opportunity into a golden opportunity and a bad situation into a goldmine. She has more business sense in her little finger than most MBA grads have years after graduating from their programs.
Another is a rock star mom, part-time social worker and my standard bearer for everything maternal. If I don’t know the answer to a question about anything related to child rearing and/or child health maintenance, I immediately call her and she will alleviate my fears, answer my question or commiserate with me in my pain. She married a good friend of ours from years ago and her second daughter just turned one. She has a two and half year old that has a better vocabulary than most 1st graders and is a charter member of Harper’s Harem. She is funny, a bit neurotic in a good way and has a most compassionate heart.
Last but not least, there is the rock star retired business manager for a crazy man who did well in the EBay business and again has more business sense than most people I know and a whole lot I don’t. She is from New Orleans and is a dedicated family girl who has endlessly helped and supported her family during some very trying times post-Katrina. She is single, loving it and an inspiration to all of us at just keeping it real in the dating world. I can sit and listen to her dating stories for hours as she entertains us in her distinct New Orleans drawl with the trials of the men who fall for her but don’t quite measure up. She is like all my friends compassionate and caring and dedicated to her family and friends.
We are, you might think, at first glance an unlikely group of women who came together through various connections. Some through work, some through others in the group but we come together in a common bond that is shared by all women, friendship. I often look at the women in this group and marvel at my luck and sheer good fortune to count them as my friends. These are the two in the morning girls you can call for any reason. You might get an earful at first if you’re on the wine, but they will be there for you in the pinch. These are also the girls who take no prisoners. If I’m wrong, they are usually the first to point it out and keep me honest.
The women in this post are the girls whom I see the most often. I am blessed with many girlfriends in all parts of the country that I don’t see nearly often enough but value their presense in my life.
We have all gone in different directions, some of us have gotten married, some of us have had kids, some of us have accomplished remarkable things and some of us have struggled. We are professional, hardworking, overstressed and underappreciated by just about everyone we know, but one thing is for certain. We are a group that is unique and when we get together to have our little roundtables, the wine flows, the laughter starts and the time that has passed since our last outing seems to disappear faster than the first bottle of wine.
