If I woke up today and life as we know it was ending, I'd want the people I love to know what they mean to me. Our everyday lives tend to get hectic and we forget to tell our nearest and dearest how important they are. We take every day we spend with them for granted. We never think about how we'd feel if we never got the chance to say all the things we feel for them.
A few years ago, I became friends with an amazing group of people who brought me into their little circle of "burs." It was from them that I learned what true friendship is and that family isn't just the people who share your blood. It is because of them that I began to learn how to be a good friend and to accept myself as I am (instead of what I thought I was supposed to be.) I'm still a little rough around the edges, but they take me for who I am without judgement and complete support. They are honest when I need to hear it yet they don't look down on me when I screw up (which has been a lot lately.) I am lucky to have them in my life and certainly do not tell them enough.
When I was a freshman in college, fate sent me my best friend. We were kindred spirits from the start and that is why our friendship has lasted for 10 years now even from 500 miles away. We don't talk everyday and only get to see each other every few months but we pick up right where we left off every single time. Our paths crossed for a reason that summer day at freshman orientation and if I ever needed an example of true serendipity, I would refer to this friendship. We have seen the best and the worst of each other and it only strengthens our bond. There is no doubt in my mind that we will always be apart of each other's lives no matter where life takes us.
As for the family I share my blood with, I have always seemed to be the black sheep. At 28, I have not yet married nor do I have children (as 90% of family members my age do.) I am very independent and free spirited which has caused me to always feel distant from my kin. My personal goals don't seem to match theirs which I am okay with. I have no idea where I got my gypsy soul from because it certainly wasn't from any of them. They most likely think that I don't care but they're wrong. I care very much and am proud of what my family has accomplished as they continue to expand our legacy with families of their own. I am trying to find my own way in life and I hope they understand that. I may not be there all the time, but I'll always be there when it counts. I feel like my parents have finally accepted who I am yet still encourage me to grow into who I want to be. Growing up has had its ups and downs, but my parents seemed to know what they were doing (even when I didn't understand their reasoning.) I am thankful now for those hard lessons I had to learn from them because that is what makes certain life situations easy to take on now. It makes me love and respect them even more.
So there you have it. Those things I think and feel every day but rarely say out loud...in case of rapture.
-ldw
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