We have a lot of national days, don’t we? Google “National Day of…” and you will find a day dedicated to almost any food, drink, and sport. While some of these days can be downright weird (national toothache day?!), today is a day I think all moms should sit back and reflect on – National Girlfriends Day. After all, where would moms be without their girlfriends?
When I first heard about National Girlfriends Day I thought it needed to be a big deal:: make plans for dinner, happy hour, or lunch with your tribe! Get dressed up! Make it special! Go all out! Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to make time with your girlfriends, but with busy schedules it often takes weeks to actually put a date on the calendar.
I’m celebrating National Girlfriend’s Day in a different way this year. I’m making a list of the women who have been my friend in some capacity over the last 40 years. When you take stock of all the wonderful girlfriends who have impacted your life, even if you aren’t close now, you can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude.
I would encourage you to take your gratitude a step forward. Send a text to these women thanking them for their friendship. Buy some stamps at the grocery store and send them a note in the mail. Or act like its 2002 and actually call them. At the end of the day, we all just want to know we are seen, heard, and important to our friends. What better way to celebrate National Girlfriends Day than by letting your friends know they matter to you?
Here is my abbreviated list.
- The girls I grew up with who share childhood memories of church camp, crushes, bad hairstyles, and a bond that is unexplainable.
- My cousins who I spent weeks with over school breaks, who told me their secrets, and taught me family is important.
- My High School BFF who taught me how to have fun and how to style an outfit.
- My college roommate who was the first person other than a family member I lived with and who met me for dinner every so often to check in until we graduated.
- My college friends who stuck by me after I repeatedly made the same mistakes and some of who made them alongside me. We all eventually learned.
- My fellow “MBA wife” friends who navigated the waters of being newly married to a busy full-time student.
- My co-workers who turned into life-long friends, but not before they taught me how to manage the professional world as a woman.
- My playgroup friends who were really my first “mom” friends and helped fill my day as a stay at home mom.
- My “oil and gas wife” friends who understand the underlying stress of always living in a little bit of limbo.
- My running friends who encourage me to get out of bed at 4:15 am and believe I can do more than I think I can.
- My friend with whom I have lived the darkest hours and celebrated the lightest moments.
- The friends I am parenting alongside who share the same values of raising competent, self-sufficient, kind, hard-working children. It’s not easy as I thought it would be.
- New friends who seemed placed in your life at the perfect time.
- My ride or die who constantly checks in on me, makes plans to visit me even before her current visit is over, and who doesn’t judge me when I send her texts complaining about the mundane details of motherhood.
Make your own list and celebrate all the wonderful girlfriends in your life! Happy National Girlfriends Day!
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