It is incredible to me that I have the same friends that I have had since I was in my teens.
That is staggering to think about.
Not saying it is easy...you have to forgive, hold on, adjust...
But holy shit I've got a great circle of love :)
And I have new friends too. Equally as amazing to me, that as a cranky, overly dramatic forty-something I can still find souls that I connect with in an instant. I have the predictable liberals, but also republican friends, even a few libertarians, straight, gay, young and old. Hell's bells - I gave my heart to a creationist.
I am grateful every day for my village. To be loved when you are fun is easy...but to be circled and held when you are sad, scared and wounded...well that is real. True Blue. And I know that stressful times bring the real love out. True Blue isn't scared by bumps.
Tonight I sat surrounded by a great group of women...laughing and drinking and sharing tales of woe. Best medicine evah, lemme tell ya.
Being driven home (like a good mom) I remembered a time way before my little man was born....
Back then I was in a relationship with "A". She and I were out with some friends, sharing drinks and signing at an open mike night. She had been in a horrible car accident the year before and was a touch off from that...used a wheelchair most of the time, but was still able to drive. She drove everywhere...and being the most sober of the group...was going to drive us home.
The owner of the bar had parked (illegally) very very close to her truck - which was in a handicapped space. It was a tight squeeze getting into her truck, especially with the wheelchair. As she started to back out of the space we all heard a god awful sound...SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!!!
But "A"s truck was older than me and made all kinds of horrible noises...so we paid no mind. But the more she backed up....the louder it got. SCREEEEEECCCCH!!!!!!!!
"It's just your damn 30 year old brakes!!!" I yelled. "I've got to pee so let's get MOVING" GO SCREECH GO SCREEEEECH GOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCH.
"A", being the dutiful girlfriend, exited the parking space, only to find she had torn UP the side of the bar owner's Lexus SUV. Apparently her truck had these hooks that stuck out from the bed for cinching rope or some hee haw type function. And now the bar owner had ripped metal along the side of his fancy car. Whoopsie.
"Oh I guess it wasn't your brakes" I said "but fuck him. He now has learned not to park illegally".
We laughed ourselves all the way home.
Nowadays, as more of a mature woman, that story isn't quite so funny. Though as someone who has gotten a person with a wheelchair in and out of cars 3000 times, I can promise you that I don't feel remorse. It is NOT COOL to park in those blue lines next to handicap spaces. They are there for a REASON! And a drunk handicapped person? Well maybe they should close the streets down for that one.
I called "A" tonight and retold that story. We laughed and laughed and then simmered down and acted like grown-ups again....all the while praying the our own kids will make better choices than we ever did
;)
