Today I had a four hour lunch. It was awesome. When do you ever get the chance to have a four hour lunch? It certainly requires special companions to not only want to spend every minute of the four hours together, but to hate to leave.
My three girlfriends and I made plans relatively spur of the moment. One girlfriend was visiting from San Francisco. One left her office building from a few blocks over. One is our ultimate organizer – bringing us together and looking fabulous while she does it.
We met…..16….for real…16!! years ago. I know because it was 2001, when I joined the MSN group at Microsoft. We were all young, driven, and became fast friends. None of us had kids and our days could be long, so long lunches, talk breaks, and being attached at the hip every day resulted in deep friendships.
Over the years we’ve seen a lot and we’ve grown and changed. We may go some time without seeing each other, but we pick up right where we left off. These women are so special to me and I’m looking forward to planning an ultimate girl’s trip with them – soon….right P??
But this wasn’t my only girlfriend moment this week. On Monday, I wrapped up a very important meeting and joined another group of girlfriends. These five girls were also a key chapter of my Microsoft life – my years in Xbox PR. We left work early for a matinee showing of Bad Moms: Christmas. My absolute favorite kind of movie. Ridiculous, over-the-top humor. I laughed so hard. And it’s hard to beat laughing with girlfriends.
And the movies…..the movies are so luxurious now! We went to a new theater with recliner chairs, which were so comfortable and actually seemed clean. I was served a Diet Coke, popcorn and then a glass of wine. I could have stayed there all day. But the movie ended and then I had a nice chat with one of the girls who recently joined another company. Taking a break from the real world to watch a movie in the afternoon and chat with a girlfriend is a beautiful thing. I should do it more often.
It’s exciting to reconnect, learn about new adventures, and take time to laugh. Listen. And share with people you care about. And what an incredibly awesome week that I got to have two wonderful afternoons in three days. As appropriate for the week, I am thankful.
This year I have been so reminded of the beauty of friendship. And how true girlfriends have the power to lift your soul, make you laugh from the depths of your stomach, empathize and support you, and reinforce that all of us are fabulous. Even amongst the hustle and bustle. The questions about parenthood. The professional highs and lows. I’m grateful for these true friends.
The Redefining 