Like a fine wine

I'm getting older.
There it is.  And it's the truth.  So are you.  There is no getting away from it.
But every once in a while it is so nice to surround myself with the friends that knew me when I was "young". These are the friends I made before I really grew up.  In fact, we grew up together.   When we get together, sometimes I forget that I am a wife, mother and teacher.  Those hats I wear are an important part of who I am, but in the presence of these particular friends, it does not matter.  With these friends, I am "me".  They know me for who I am now and who I used to be and we have celebrated that journey together.  It's very special.

17 years  have passed since we walked the halls of Brock University as lost and lonely first-year students. 6 girls...all very different and somehow a perfect fit for each other.  Some of us stumbled into class still wearing our pyjamas and Modrobes (remember those!!).  Others lived "off campus" so came to school showered, well-dressed and better fed.   We slid lazily into our seats and fought the Front 54 and Big Bucks hangovers long enough to take pages of incoherent course notes with the clicking of our 4 colour Bic pens (I am sure the kids now use a note taking app on their ipads.  They have no idea how gratifying it is to hear that click when you switch to the red or green ink to write down something truly important!!!).  We had most of our classes together.  We got thrown together in seminars and worked on projects together and slowly, these friendships evolved.

We've all gone in different directions since graduation.  We're scattered across the province.   There have been overseas moves.  Careers, breakups, marriages, babies...we work through them all together.  These ladies are such an amazing support system.  I am so lucky to have them all in my life.   Over the years it has become more difficult to organize and schedule these "girls weekends".  We make it priority and though it's been almost impossible to gather all 6 of us in the same country for 48 hours, we do our best.

So this weekend past, I packed up and drove back to where it all began for a "reunion" with my girls.  We did a winery tour and spent a great day in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It was nice to do these "adult" things that we never got around to doing while we lived in the area!  We spent hours talking, laughing and crying too. We celebrated each others triumphs and offered up support and advice for those challenges we are currently facing.  Food, wine and friendship.  Such a perfect combination!

So ladies, we are no longer "young" like we were in our Brock days.  We've matured and like a fine wine, I think we are all getting better with age.  Thank you for the gift of your enduring friendship.  The big 4-0 is creeping up on us and I forseee something pretty amazing in the works!!!

Just one special lady missing this time.