I just took a bath.  (Stick with me here, it’ll make sense in a minute.)  Three girlfriends and I took a girls’ trip this weekend to Beaver Creek and I had mentioned that I don’t know how or why people take baths.  My actual stance was, “I feel the same way about them as I do about hot tubs.  What do you do, just sit there in your own filth?  Don’t you get bored?”  But after thorough instructions from my girlfriends, including what to bring to the bath, suggested temperature of water, and suggested timing, I gave it one more shot. So I took a warm bath while reading my Marie Kondo book for 30 minutes.  And I loved it.  Who else can you talk to about things like baths other than your girlfriends?

Just after I moved to Denver with Ray, I started balling my eyes out.  I had no idea why we moved here – while I’m known for being active, “outdoorsy” is not a word used to describe my typical activities, the city felt like a small peanut compared to my love affair with Chicago, and, most importantly to me, I had zero friends and family in nearby proximity.  While I can say that I still would have likely not picked moving to Denver on my own, I’m incredibly glad we took this step.  And, in all honesty, my life changed when a couple girls said hello to me while I looked absolutely disgusting after a hot yoga class and I gained up the courage to ask for their numbers because I was the new kid in town.  The following Saturday, over mimosas and a brunch that took far longer than necessary, I met a new group of girlfriends.

I know that I’m incredibly blessed to have a guy as amazing as Ray – he’s supportive, caring, and very attractive (among other things), but there’s no one that can replace having a caring group of girlfriends to catch up with to make you feel over the moon.  While we look for very consistent factors in relationships with girlfriends as we might in a significant other, the impact is entirely different.  In both relationships, we:

• Want each other to be happy
• Care what one another have to say
• Encourage and support each other
• Are happy for one another when we do well
• Apologize when we’ve made a mistake
• Give advice in a caring, supportive way

But my conversations and interactions differ dramatically with my girlfriends.  We laugh about stupid jokes, talk about past relationships, plan yoga retreats together, and instruct each other on how to take baths.  Conversations that I wouldn’t trade for gold.  (I might for the $1.3Bn Lotto jackpot… which was also discussed.)

No matter where you are, be sure to find a strong, supportive group of girlfriends.  They’ll pick you up when you’re down, give you their honest opinions, and keep you sane.

Thank you, Michelle, Amber, and Sabrina for, no matter how busy and crazy our lives get, always taking the time to be friends.  You all are my heroes.

 

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Do you have a good group of girlfriends that you can lean on everyday?

Who makes you feel most supported and cared for in your current hometown?

Create a great life!