The Importance of Best Girlfriends

Tomorrow will be filled with food and family. Too much work and way too many calories but an annual tradition enjoyed yet again. And as the toasts are made and the meal is enjoyed, I’ll reflect upon all the things for which I am grateful. There are many: good health, a loving family, creative work, to be sure. But here are a few more:

I am grateful that my girlfriends never tell me that I look like I’ve put on weight, even when the top button of my blouse could put out an eye if it pops and my muffin top is turning blue from lack of circulation.

I am grateful that when I vent to my girlfriends about what a shit my husband is or what a pain in the ass my kid is, they never agree, they just listen, because they know that tomorrow I will love my family again.[SIGNUP]

I am grateful that my girlfriends call me when they are headed off to the supermarket, the pharmacy, the post office, the triumvirate of discount shopping: Costco, Wal-Mart or the big K, and the one for which I am especially grateful, the liquor store. If I just stay home and answer my phone, I can sometimes avoid leaving the house all together.

I am grateful that my girlfriends and I can discuss politics without animosity and vitriol. I can espouse my conservative views to my most liberal friends without fear of a Molotov cocktail coming through the living room window.

I am grateful that my girlfriends will rescue me when, always at the last minute, my car has broken down or I have forgotten that I’ll be out all day and someone needs to let the dog out for a potty break, or I’m stuck in traffic and my kid is waiting to be picked up.

I am grateful that my girlfriends will not lie to me when I ask them what they think of my new haircut, but rather, will find the most sensitive, kind and constructive way of telling me that it looks bad without ever using the words “awful” or “horrible,” even when those words would certainly apply.

I am grateful for those times when I am so busy that I don’t speak to a friend for a long while and she doesn’t hold it against me. She’s busy too, and we’re just glad to connect when we can.

I am grateful when my girlfriends will overlook my faults and call me on them when it’s warranted. I’d like to think I do the same.

So, I hope you raise a glass tomorrow for all the wonderful things in your life. Times are tough, for all of us, I can’t imagine weathering life’s up and downs without my “girls.” Thanks, ladies.