Forever Young

I’m sitting here, my second full day at Arch Cape and I’m behind in writing about Ammogirl’s Seattle visit. Now since I’m at the beach and easily a good three days behind in blog writing and reading, I have to be honest and say that writing wasn’t the biggest priority before I left due to all I had to do before I headed out. But I will do my best to cover all the territory I can here.

You know when you encounter people in your life that you instantly feel comfortable with and you make them friends or you gravitate to them in some way and it’s just a good feeling? Well.. Treena is one of those people. Kari is as well, but I have been friends with her since my sophomore year. When Treena showed up and we started on the very beginnings of reminiscing, it was clear that the borders high school created were the only reasons we weren’t closer to Treena during that time because she is so much like us. I felt like no time had even passed between high school graduation and 17 plus years. Tho she and Kari have both had children, we all felt like girls together, giggling and telling stories of people we used to know, boys we used to be ‘madly’ in love with, etc. We cooked, we drank, we played with Kari’s girls, we shopped, and we even dared open at least one yearbook, which was frightening.. and the whole time I kept thinking.. how did I not know this girl better? But high school is filled with every kind of possible insecurity and awkwardness and the main goal is just trying to fit in and possibly in a way that isn’t completely noticeable because if someone does chance to see it, you’re certain to be ridiculed at some point. Know what I mean?

So Treena arrived on the Wednesday a week before July 4th.. and I was pretty much at Kari’s house every day after work for the rest of the work week. No plans were made for anyone else because when a friend comes from Germany to hang out with you, hi.. you spend the time. So when Kari had some wifely priorities on Friday, I stole the guest of honor and dragged her into the city for pub food and improvisational comedy-type merriment.. something she’d never actually experienced. We invited Loren and the three of us enjoyed some VERY strong martinis, quite a few laughs during the show.. and yours truly, Miss D, FINALLY won something!!! I made the best suggestion during this particular improv show and not only did I win two passes to any improv show after that, but I won two, that’s T-W-O superballs each with a little plastic baby in them.. one white and one black…… Yes.. ok.. ew. But hey.. I won SOMETHING! WHOO HOO!

And tho I was a bit overzealous in procuring dessert after the show, we did end up in Capital Hill with many types of baked sugar forms in front of us before the one o’clock am hour. I really don’t think any of us needed it tho.

Painfully tired, Treena and I headed back to my house, but tho we tried to sleep, we talked like teenage girls having a sleep-over for about an hour before we managed closing our eyes for the night. Must’ve been the sugar high, but it still made us both smile. Friends are good, you know?

Saturday, Kari joined us for brunch and shopping. We wandered with no purpose, dined on gourmet chocolates and Vietnamese coffees, found our way to the movies to see Evening, which is a total chic-flic-tear-jerker and a movie you should see when you’re with long-time friends and we finished with wine and conversation on the eastside so we could wake up and spend the whole last day with Kari and her family.

We languished as long as possible over meals and drinks.. naps in the sun, watching the girls do various gymnastics and dance performances for all of us.. and tried to take in the overdue catching up as much as we could without ever feeling like we were really forcing it. It was all just easy and fun and was just as much a vacation as this time at the beach is really.. just a different sense of family for me and just as rewarding.

I think as we’ve all grown older, it’s easier to erase the bullshit of the past and latch onto what’s positive about the future because in the big picture, what does the history matter? What matters is now. Bonds, friendship, a sense of belonging, trust and loyalty that would take a lot more than distance and dorky high school memories to damage. There’s a sense of ageing together, the aching bodies, the limitations, the wishes that were never fulfilled, and the insecurities that might still be there, but have long since been reduced to miniscule status.. and you can see yourself in your friends’ eyes, which are so warm and welcoming that you spend all your time smiling and suddenly, the time has flown by and you’re at your last moments with each other until an undetermined ‘next time.’

I feel old from Treena’s visit.. but in a good way. I would kill for my 17-year-old metabolism, but there was a new vision once I hit 30.. and it just keeps getting better as the years have passed. I have a totally different life than either Treena or Kari and you can’t say it’s better or worse – and neither would they – it’s just different.. but not one of us would wish for those high school days again.. no no.. even at the price of getting older, we are grateful to have all that over with. Just don’t call us ladies.. ok? And really.. no ma’am’s either.. are we clear? I think we established that we’ll be ‘girls’ forever.