I also hadn't been the best at keeping in touch with my college roommate, Jess- who we were going to visit in Arizona. I guess life and being busy has a way of doing that- 6 years had gone by and I realized that we lost touch. So, not only was this a perfect opportunity to reconnect with old friends, it was also a big deal to me to take a little time for myself and get away for four days. As the time to leave drew near, so did my thoughts of worry. I worried that Saidey wouldn't sleep well, that she would wake up in the middle of the night, and be hard to console back to sleep. I worried that Sophia would forget her backpack or have a meltdown due to change in routine.
When the plane touched down in Phoenix, and I had collected my bags, I found myself quickly immersed in catching up and picking up right where we left off. Jess- even though we picked up right where we left off- let's not make it 6 years before we talk again! :) It was like the six years hadn't even existed and we had just seen each other the day before. We caught up on life, love and relationships- although I will admit, I had way less exciting updates than she. :) We talked about jobs, friendships, kids and life in general. It was about 1PM when I looked down at my watch and realized I hadn't changed a diaper, wasn't a referee between the kids, and that I hadn't wiped a nose or had a nose wiped on my shoulder.
The rest of the weekend was more of that- catching up, laughing- oh the laughing!, and spending quality time with friends. I can't tell you how good it felt to be in the warm weather and just enjoying time with friends. It really warms the soul and I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. I will say that on this Monday, I am feeling exhausted, but it's the good kind of exhausted. It's the kind of exhausted that you know you just had a great time, didn't get a whole lot of sleep, and acted like you were much younger than you really were. For four days, I was just a girl (ok, probably a lady) with her friends. I wasn't a mom with two kids, a stroller, and a diaper bag. And that's the thing I also realized. I am SO MUCH more than a mom. Being a mom has changed me and it is a big part of my life. But there is so much more to me than just being a mom. Sometimes, we define ourselves by our roles. Mother, daughter, coworker, friend etc.. and we forget who we really are. We are more than just the roles that we are given and sometimes it takes us to get out of those roles to remember that. And even though it's been 10 years since I was in college, there are still parts of that girl that is still here. And it felt great getting to know that girl again.
It also made me realize the importance of friendships. The kinds of friendships where even if we don't talk everyday, we can still see each other and pick up right where we left off. The friendships where you can laugh at even the smallest thing. It's the inside jokes and it's the taxi ride home. And it's the bike in the living room that you fall into while trying to be quiet. The kind of friendships that you know will last a lifetime. That even though so much has changed in all of our lives, we can still get together and have a good time. That despite the different places we might all be in our lives that there are still more similarities than differences amongst us. It also made me realize how important it is to take time to maintain friendships. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best at calling friends or keeping in touch. I can get caught up in day to day life and forget to stop and take time to call a friend or even take time for myself. So, if anything, this trip made me realize how good it felt to spend time with friends and to put in a better effort at making sure I take time to catch up with friends, go out to eat etc.
So to all my mommy friends out there- I know how hard it is to leave your kiddos. And I'm not saying it's easy or that even once you leave you won't miss them. Because you will. They will be with you the entire time. You might even think about them- wondering how they're doing and what they're doing. And that's ok. But if you can just get your booty out the door, trust me, it's well worth it! I also promise you that everyone will survive while you're gone.
