Showing Up

I was in California last week for a conference and a mini-vacation.  The first week I went with two friends to Big Sur where we ate good food, drank good wine and just lived.  It was amazing.  The second weekend I rented an apartment in the Mission and visited with friends.  One person in particular I spent time with is a friend of mine who I've known since high school, Matt.  Matt is the kind of person who is incredibly smart and really eclectic.  With him the conversation will always be interesting and I never know what to expect.  It's fun.  He also grounds me, reminds me how great it was to grow up where I did and with the people I did.  We had this lovely afternoon of Christmas shopping/finding books that made us smile that turned into an evening of good food/great conversation/good drinks/great jazz.  He also reminded me of something so very important in light of the past year.  Friends are the people who show up.  He told me this story of a friend he has who would always drive down from Connecticut whenever Matt goes to NYC.  Friends he said very simply show up.  Sometimes I make life about the people who challenge me or who inspire me, but at the end of the day, none of these are really important.  In a year where I have lost my grandpa and my childhood home has probably changed in ways I have yet to see who process, my friends, my real friends have show up.  In big ways and small ones.  In the way of sitting with me while I am snotty crying talking about dropping out of grad school (Erin and Gary S.) or interpretively dancing to random french movies (Forrest and Steph).  Of being there when my Grandpa passed away (Forrest, Gary, Erin, Steph and Laura).  They have inspired great parties (Parker and Tyler) and amazing road trips (Sarah and Hallie).  And sometimes we laughed so we didn't cry.  There have been some really high highs and really low lows for all of us.  The important things is that we showed up and experienced them together.  This is not a sum total of all my friends or just the friends I am grateful for, but just some of the points most vivid to me this moment.  As the year ends and I can see the rollercoaster of next year on the horizon, I am so unbelievably grateful to everyone who showed up in my life this year.

xoxo
Laur