August 1 is named National Girlfriend’s Day, but who do you celebrate seems to be a bit of a question. Is it a day for boys and men to make note of on their calendars? On the other hand, is it for women to celebrate each other?
I have been a girlfriend in the typical romantic understanding as you see on Hallmark Saturday night movies. From David in grade 7 (such cute freckles!) to the man who stole my heart in our mid-years who is now my husband. I had never heard of Girlfriend’s Day, I don't recall being celebrated.
Today for me however, is about my Girls. A day to celebrate.
Some are friends since childhood, a few who danced and sang along through young adulthood, and the most treasured who nurtured, shared, stood beside me through crises, or handed me a suitcase and told me to Go.
Adult friends are not usually like your childhood friends. I hope that we are both independent adults and can support each other to be the best we are able to be on a given day. And goodness knows each day is not the same. Your Girls just walk beside you.
Statistics say that we are surrounded by circles, but that we likely can only maintain five close relationships. We must not allow our social media popularity skew who we really are.
As you grow older and if you are as fortunate as I am, you have friendships that span decades. You have a common past. You remember the same things.
You are blessed if you have these friends. You will learn from their wisdom and grow with each other. She will tell you when to be courageous and when to let it go, when to speak up and when to say ‘it’s not my circus’.
You will be strong for her when she needs it, although you also feel for her losses. You will tell her when she needs to get out of her house and put on some make-up. And there will be days you pour her a glass of wine and just sit beside her, quietly, for hours.
When we accept a friend, we usually do so in wonderful circumstances. We meet at yoga or when one of you is the new neighbour, you might even cross the street with a freshly baked pie. If you are truly lucky, you might meet in your workplace, each have children, watch them grow, get divorced, move away, then move back, and still meet for coffee/lunch/dinner.
You don’t need to talk or text or even think about each other every day. Your friend and you might not connect often, but you each occupy a piece of each other’s heart.
You don’t know when it happened, if there even was a moment, when you knew you were friends. You filled something in each other that neither of you wants to let go now. Oh, other women come along, some join you in life, some disappear quickly. That’s just the way it is.
And don’t let anyone ever tell you that a broken friendship with one of your Girls doesn’t hurt. Sometimes it stings badly. But you will survive. Although you might always ache, just a little.
It is difficult these days not to care about how ‘popular’ you are. The silliest things are measured. There are algorithms for everything except the weight of the joy and the pain you can hold for a friend. There are no scales that measure how you affect each other.
Always remember that if you get a small circle of Girls around you, the ones whose hands you will hold until the end then you have been given a gift.
Let your Girls know what they mean to you today. It’s a day to celebrate.
To all my Girls out there, you will recognize yourself in these words. Thank you for being a piece of my heart.
Gail Williamson writes at Found and Bliss about the mystery and magic encountered each day. At https://foundandbliss.blogspot.com , she shares inspirational words from the side streets of life, words that encourage and make you ponder. Gail has spent a career in fostering mindfulness and self-improvement and is now devoting her time to writing full-time. She fuels her pursuit of life-long learning with good conversation, great coffee and red wine, deep reading, yoga, making jewelry and hopes that you will join her for the ride. We are all connected! Keep looking. When you find it, make it better ©. You can find Gail at Found and Bliss on FB, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.