Just Kim

Today is one of my oldest, and by that, I mean long term and dearest friend’s birthday. A milestone birthday, deserving of its own blog.

She is fifty.

When we met she was thirty-three and I was twenty-seven.

When I told her my age she rolled her eyes and said, “Well, that’s obnoxious.”

And seventeen years of friendship is extravagant in my friendship cycle.  Yesterday after lunch we hid in a corner from someone we’d rather never ever see… like we were twelve.  We giggled. I think I snort laughed.

When we were 33 and 27 we lugged car seats and shared juice boxes. And when we were 43 and 37 we worried about cell phones and drivers licenses for the littles who we once lugged in car seats and handed juice boxes to. And now we are 50 and 44 and we talk about chaos and loss and babies that we lugged in car seats who now have traveled abroad and are apartment hunting.

Occasionally we hide in corners from less than desirable folks, and snort laugh… like we were twelve.

It has been over a decade since we mutilated our children’s pictures into odd shapes and permanently glued them to fancy paper.  Now, it is more convenient to just have pictures on our phones.  And it is long since been when we talked every single day or met at parks and arranged playdates.  But we can get together now, having gone months without time to chat or even text and pick right up where we last left off.

Somethings never change.

And somethings are never the same.

But a 17-year friendship with my 50-year-old friend is one of the most treasured things I possess.  In 17 years she has taught me to be assertive. She taught me how to spa like a boss, and yes, spa is a verb in our world. We have laughed. We have cried. We had hysterectomies on the same day and were roomed next to each other in the hospital. We have argued, although we argued less after the aforementioned procedure. And we have continually debated the safety of meats left out to thaw.

We have said goodbye to those we loved, and we have said hello to new babies… long after she and I thought I was done.  She cheers me on and shares my blog. She is just… Kim.

I am better for having known you, greater because you are my friend.

Happy Birthday, you’ll always be older than me, I’ll always be taller than you.  Your floors have never been sticky and your calling has always been ordained. Love, Jami

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.” Proverbs 27:9