Lay down so that I can kick you

I saw my best friend this weekend.  After not seeing her since 2007 we were able to hang out, talk, laugh, and just have fun at remembering those days from the past where we would do the silliest of things without regard for how others may think of us.

In a world where I have many different layers to who I am, and what I share, my best friend has probably known me best.  Growing up without a sister, she has become my sister in the 16 year friendship we have shared.  She held my hand each time my heart was broken, whether physically or emotionally, encouraged me to always do my best, and while she may not have always agreed with decisions I made, she supported me 110%.  There are not too many people I can say that about.  She has not only wiped away my tears for painful moments, but also the tears of happy moments.

It is miraculous how a friendship between two individuals can include every private thought, secret, and protection from the outside world can soothe your soul as that of a kindred spirit of your best friend.

The first night we met, we were both in our first semester of college, and working at Wal-Mart.  We clicked instantly.  We clicked so much our co-workers asked if we were roommates...both from small towns, both with younger siblings at home since we were the oldest, and both trying to learn about our new worlds around us.  There was the night we drove someone's car we had just met, the time we drove to LA and got lost due to not knowing where the heck we were going, or going to Lake Havasu on Spring Break and laughed at all the drunk people. She was there in the middle of the night when I was in a car accident, and there when my kids were born.  In so many ways, she has been there for me more than I feel I have been there for her. She has been one of the few people I can trust without reservation.  We have inside jokes or phrases that when shared cause us to erupt into laughter similar to little kids do.  Phrases like "lay down so that I can kick you" would never be understood by any other person other than her.  That is the wonderful part of having a best friend, and many many years shared together...

Stephanie, her husband, and their kids moved to Minnesota about 5 years ago.  And as we had grown up, both meeting our husbands, starting families, and having our lives not be so intricately weaved, we have both accepted the other's life, knowing we are both busy.  When seeing each other, or talking on the phone again, it is just like that first time we met - like time has not passed, and we are 18 again.  Her moving away was extremely difficult, but also something that has not really affected our friendship...friendship is not measured in the miles that separate you, but measured in the moments where you share yourself with another person.