Reflecting on Special Friendships is Good for the Soul
The other evening while at dinner with three of my besties, we were sharing videos and photos from recent family events. As laughter filled the air above our cozy booth, nothing else mattered but the fact that four long-time friends were relaxing and savoring good food and this moment of time together.
As I glanced across the table, I caught myself feeling a bit of tenderness in my heart as two of our group were giggling and looking at photos of a new dog and recent homecoming photos. Something was different. Although the energy, laughter and the love has remained the same over the years, I noticed that these 50 somethings each had on a pair of reading glasses. It made me acutely aware of the fact that I love these friends, that time is passing and that as with everyone else we are getting older.
Flash back to 25 years ago when we were each pregnant with our first child. We shared the same OBGYN office and as a result we were in the same labor and delivery classes. At the end of our last class, I sent around a sign-up sheet for those who might be interested in re-gathering when our babies turned 6 months old. Several couples joined in the reunion with their babies but the four of us shared an undeniable connection that evening. And as a result, we have been friends for over 25 years.
Every month, without fail, we commit to dinner out somewhere in our city. We have experienced so many of life’s transitions and have grown together from young moms to mid-life women.
In the early days of our friendships, our conversations revolved around pacifiers, diapers, baby food and how difficult (and painful) it was to get our babies to latch on during our rookie, breast-feeding days. We’ve shared many milestones, birthdays, graduations and holidays. When our kids were young, we never missed a trip to the pumpkin patch, the zoo or pizza parties. We leaned on one another when the exhaustion of being new moms took over our once simpler lives.
But right now as 50+ somethings we are in the height of happiness treasuring each other, listening intently to our stories, concerns and hopes for the future. There's a lot of laughter at our dinners, but there are always serious conversations about life as well. The perfect balance among friends that have known each other for over 25 years.
Our conversations are much deeper these days. We talk about our aging parents, our kids' new jobs, stories of our last few kids that are still in college and we all feel grateful that we have been on this journey together. 25 years from now we will still be having dinner in a cozy booth, sharing stories and nurturing one another’s soul. We will talk about our golden, senior years and we will be reflecting on our special friendship. -Corie
••••Corie Mustoe is a certified health and life coach with CoachCorie.com. She is passionate about helping women intentionally create a healthy and happy life. She offers private, one-on-one, virtual coaching as well as women’s wellness retreats. She coaches from an intuitive, caring space offering a wealth of knowledge on health, wellbeing, mindfulness, inner peace and gratitude.•••