in class the other day we were talking about coaches and mentors - who was that person for you, what about them made you want to follow, and what lessons were you given? one woman described a mentor who was patient and brave, gracious and funny, but the strongest fiber connecting her all together was her broad idea of normal. she knew that often times there are several right answers, more than one way to understand a situation, and countless possibilities in facing life, if we just blur the lines between what we think and what we feel and what we know. and so the length and depth of normal can be applied with comfort to anyone who needs it.
and after class i went home and finished preparations to head north for the 12th time in as many years with my best women, my best friends. we plan this trip all year long, making lists and spying perfect gifts. finally on the day of departure we load up an oversized vehicle with oversized fun: food and wine, gifts and magazines, music and two small dogs, and off we go.
the best parts of the weekend are clearly the candlelit moments spent on the screen porch, with evening breezes and we all in our places. we tell stories and offer advice, and we laugh so hard we can't catch a breath. sometimes we take turns feeling hopeful or helpless, lost or found, and i always come out of those conversations feeling better about myself, because after all they see me better than i do. whether we feel crazy or stuck, the rest of us lean in, or sit back, and offer our views on how normal we really are; and of course that idea is broadly defined. as we continue to be.
my best women, my best mentors,
and no one has better friends than i do.
except for the three other women on the porch.
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