#friendship

Women & Wine, Kathy Womack https://www.kwomack.com

More and more I appreciate the women in my life. I have childhood friends who know my whole story: you know, even those bits you mostly never talk about but still affect who you are. I still have a connection with my college roommate that to this day I cherish. And then there is the mom friend I met at a school parent meeting. This was a friendship built over many volunteer hours.

I have developed great relationships in my neighborhood over bunco dice and shared walks through our local streets. One girlfriend I met during our years building an Amway business and today we share a common interest of helping people get fit. Amazing co-workers have come into my life, and stayed after the work was done. Connections have developed from the classes I have taught. And the women in my family: daughter, sister-in-laws, cousins, mother-in-law, have become lifelong confidants.

So Many Amazing Women.

A close friend can be a listening ear, hearing a long story, with detail after detail because sometimes you. just. have. to. say. it. all. A friend can provide a good laugh. A friend can nudge a shift in perspective and encourage looking beyond your own thoughts or beliefs. Having a chance to hang out with fabulous women and hearing what they have to say can really be a positive, enriching experience.

Don’t be afraid to say yes to someone new in your life. It is worth it to share you life with a great group of women, large or small. Even if they don’t all know each other. Even if they all know each other.

Thank you girlfriends, old and new. You lift me up.

And then I just realized I am getting a little sappy and might have just quoted a line from this:

♫ Celine Dion ► Because you Loved me ♫

I’ll stop typing now before we end up with a link to Bette Midler, too. Because referencing my friends being my wind might get a little weird.

Have you ever yelled that from the top of a cliff or hill to have it echoed back to you? As kids we tested the echo factor of the sand pit by our house. Since The Pit was horseshoe shaped we never heard our words bounce back. (More HERE on The Pit) as a childhood vacation to the Grand Canyon I remember shouting through the chain link fence at a look out point. The summer I worked in Yellowstone National Park we would often give a shout at the highest peak on our 2 and 3 day hikes. Sometimes I wonder if anyone hears what I say on this blog or if my words are just bouncing back to me.

Which brings me to the echo chamber we can often surround ourselves with. Don’t get me wrong: I love to be in a crowd where we all voted for the same president. However, I have a collection of friends that on the surface would indicate I probably would not fit in. Our original source of connection was fitness classes. Now, we often text as a group to check in with each other as well as meet up when it works. This is a company of women I have come to cherish.

Here’s the thing: we don’t have the same religious or political beliefs. Our choice for TV programming varies widely. Outside of fitness our other common denominator might be that we have all been married over 25 years. We don’t choose the same foods: one hates Mexican style, a couple don’t eat meat. Well, except one veggie girl eats bacon. And is Jewish. You might ponder that later. As a side note I really like bacon.

So why does the friendship work? We respect each other. There is value in being different. It has to do with us absorbing what we hear, and not just bouncing back answers in agreement. Love of Jesus doesn’t over shadow a lack of believe in God. Meditation is accepted as prayer. There is value knowing that a contrary opinion might be spoken.

A broader perspective can be gained when we listen to others who think differently. That’s a good thing, right?

And back to the bacon, it can be just as controversial as Trump. Nitrites, no nitrates. Cured, uncured. Turkey or pork? And, can we really call pressed turkey meat bacon?

It might be a Celine Dion song

Hello, hello can anyone hear me?!

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