My girlfriends are an essential part of my life. My girlfriends have taught me how to be a friend, a mom, a leader and a wife. They listen to me when I doubt myself and they let me lift them up when they need it.
I love my husband Steve more than I can say, but women and men could not be more different (that’s a whole other post!) and while I know that Steve is always by my side, I know I confuse the heck out of him sometimes.
Even when my friends and I are in different places in our lives, we always seem to speak the same language. My friendships nourish me in a way that I cannot always nourish myself. They inspire and motivate me simply by being who they are and by struggling with growing in a real way. That seems to be the common thread between my friends who are all quite different. They are on a path of growth, they struggle with the negative voices (see my “Belief” post) in their heads and they do everything in their power to be open, honest, loving and make a difference in this world.
Real friendships don’t happen quickly. Sure, sometimes I meet someone I have a girlfriend crush on immediately, but like the other kind of crushes, they don’t always last. Real friendships develop through the struggles, challenges, tears, laughter and the life experiences we share. Who is still there when everyone else headed home? I don’t think I had real friendships until I was in my 30s, because I didn’t know what it meant to be a friend to others. That took time for me to figure out. Luckily, a few of my earlier friends were patient with me.
I’m very fortunate to have a business where I get to meet a lot of fabulous women. I love working with women and helping them create a life they can be excited about. What is even cooler is that along the way, some of them become close friends.
I am so grateful that I have learned what it means to be a real friend and that I get to practice friendship regularly.