friendship.

as the pot of sticky oatmeal from this morning soaks in the kitchen sink, and the kids settle into some cars and baby playtime, i thought i'd take a moment on here. i tend to forget this semi-private blog exists. and when i do write, i tend to be so immersed in thought that i forget i have an audience (sorry about that). when you come here, you're getting the contents of my brain. this is where i can vent, be vulnerable, and voice my thoughts...and a choice few will get to read my words, if they so choose to log in.

one very important thing when reading my blog is not to read into things too deeply, take things too literally, etc. my husband has access (hi babe!) and he is a very literal thinker. but he knows me. those closest to me understand how i work, and i appreciate that so much. this is why i cherish close, intimate relationships so much. i want to share the details of my life and in exchange, feel most loved when those in relationships with me share the details of theirs. no, this does not mean they lose their privacy. *smile* this simply means that if they're going on vacation, i knew about it, because we keep in touch. it means if someone they love is dying, i know that, too...so i can be a support for them and it's me they want to lean on. and many times, it means they call me just to say "i saw the funniest commericial just now!!" and i do the same. it's the big things and the small things. but when i feel a relationship slipping away, or that my fervor about the relationship is not reciprocated, i might go into protective mode. i try not to do this. it's my natural reaction. when i find myself doing this, i have to remind myself, "don't dwell. just let it go."

because i feel so deeply, i also hurt so deeply. i know some that have been hurt in the past, and so they keep their friends at arms length. they don't want to feel that pain of rejection again, and so they shield themselves. i understand that completely because i've done the same. however, when we do that, we are missing out on the joy of a tightly knit bond. there is a magical unspoken secret that occurs when you find someone you connect with impeccably. much of the time, we find a connection with someone who doesn't feel quite the same as we do, and it can be disappointing, even devastating. but then there are shared connections that last a lifetime. i have been so blessed to have met those "soul mate" kind of friends in my life. even if months go by (and i am speaking about my out-of-state friends here), that bond is still there. i have a few best girlfriends i left behind when i left idaho. i think about them all the time and we keep in touch here and there. i consider them close to my heart because i know i am close to theirs. they make it known to me, and i make it known to them.

so, in a previous blog i was talking about the drama i cause. this mostly has to do with family. i rarely have drama issues within friendships. in fact, i can count on one hand the dramatic episodes i've had as an adult. it just doesn't happen. the norm for me is that my friendships just flow naturally. i like that. that's how it ought to be! i consider myself a very good, loyal friend. when i'm in a great, reciprocal friendship, i am myself, generous, supportive, and so on.

but sometimes, something happens that might challenge a relationship. it can even make or break a friendship - if the people involved allow it. to me, the test of a true friendship is survival and forgiveness. genuine friendship will be open and honest, even if it's painful or uncomfortable. this is true because true friendship values a committment. it weathers any storms that comes. i liken this very much to marriage. if there is a shared value of loyalty to the friendship, there is nothing the two can't face together.

i once had a best friend (i thought) who viciously turned on me, without explanation. it is so hard to gain closure in a situation when the person won't even speak to you! it took me two years to get over that. two years!! from that, i learned: i am a dweller. i dwell and dwell and dwell.

i think that experience prepared me for an even worse one. four years later, i lost a good friend through the divorce. she had been my friend for years, and yet she chose to remain friends with my ex instead of me. she never even said goodbye. it was surreal, uncomfortable, VERY painful. you'd think i'd protect myself after those two hurdles, but i still choose to be vulnerable in my friendships. why? because when you find a true and lasting friendship, there's nothing like it in the world. and now i know that those two friendships....were never really friendships. true friendship endures.

for some reason, i haven't been able to find the same type of closeness in friendship that i've had in the past. it's frustrating when my best friends are in utah, idaho, california...the east coast!! i've been close to a few people here in washington, but not quite to the level i'm used to having in my best friendships. still, i cherish the moments and seasons i've experienced with my friends here. i've decided to take what i can get, and give what i can...and just let things "be." i've prayed for best friends in the past, and Heavenly Father delivered. i know that if i ask again, it will happen. someone in this town surely needs a friend right now, and that friend could be me!

with all that said, i am missing my best friend right now. she's amazing. she's the kind of friend i love having.... she just shows up! when she shows up, she's a great listener. she makes me laugh so hard that we leave with six packs. the friendship comes so easy. it's uber-comfortable! she'd crawl into bed with me and watch a chick flick. i can bawl on her shoulder and she can bawl on mine. we might talk three times a day, every day...or a whole week might go by with zero contact. and yet, we never stop thinking about one another. now THAT is a friendship i can get on board with. i am lucky, lucky, lucky to have her. i wish everyone could experience such a close friendship like that. everyone deserves it. it's so rare, and i have it!

just wish it wasn't in another state. :o(