Friendship

Yesterday I was blessed to have been able to spend a full day with my best friend in the whole world. She was there to see my children born, the one who I have shared my most inner thoughts and deepest secrets. We have laughed together till our stomachs hurts and cried a river of tears. She has supported me through some of the toughest times of my life and been there for some of the best. She has been there to listen to my crazy ideas and put up with me changing my mind a million times and she has taught me so much about loyalty, kindness and never giving up on your dreams. We were so fortunate to be able to spend years together living side by side on neighbouring farming stations (it was a mere 20km drive for our weekly coffee catch up) but it was worth it. She has been an angel in my life, my souls connection to another human being.
It didn't start off this way however, in fact you could say she was public enemy number 1 when I was in high school at the age of 17, she had been fooling around with my boyfriend and I wanted her head on a plate. However as fate would have it many years later we were reacquainted by accident by a mutual friend who didn't know the history. We both turned up to the meeting blissfully unaware of who or what we were about to be faced with! You can imagine the surprise when we locked eyes on each other and had to do the polite hellos and " oh I remember you". Needless to say it was a very quiet lunch date.
Fortunately being older and wiser we both got over our differences pretty quickly and realised a potential friend in each other. From there things blossomed and we soon found that not only did we have lots in common but we had a deep connection that only people who have ever experienced true friendship could appreciate. Its the type of bond that no matter how far we have roamed over the years and no matter how much time goes between phone calls and visits, nothing changes. Well nothing of any significance at least (she is the first one I call for the big things!!) and the love we have for one another never diminishes, there is a quiet and simple understanding that we have each others back no matter what and that we can share anything in the most authentic and genuine way. I can simply be myself and she can simply be her amazing self and our love is unconditional.
So I guess this blog post is simply a reflection of how sweet life is when we can celebrate friendship. 2016 saw me retreat into my own dark world, caught up inside my own head and my own problems, I found it easier to become a social recluse rather than try and fake another awkward smile or another "I  am doing fine" (when really I wasn't) I didn't even reach out to my bestie or anyone for that matter because I don't think I even knew how to language what I was going through, I couldn't put my finger on the point of disconnection. I had lost all motivation for life and didn't see the point of trying to join in on the game as I really didn't want to play.
So my day spent with my girl was just another confirmation to me about how things are starting to turn around, I remembered what it was like to feel alive again as the conversation flowed (or more like gushed) out of me, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I never wanted it to end. It was like the excitement and butterflies of winning lotto. What a blessing!!! What an experience I will treasure always and as you can see from the pic, I was brave enough to strut around in my bathers all day, enjoying the water, the sun and sand and even taking the kayak out for a paddle, adventurous for my standards. So my gratitude goes out to friendship today and everyday, I am thankful for friends they are the family you can choose and my life will always be richer for having had a friend like Anna.