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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

T.T. - To Laughing One's Ass Off

As most of my loyal readers know, I was off last week galavanting through the snow with an old friend, Beth.  I am inspired to pay tribute to an aspect of my relationship with Beth because I realized last week once again in real life one of the reasons why I love Beth and why we have remained friends over the years and the distance between us.  

And that is laughter.

Do you have a friend that you can be absolutely ridiculously silly with?  A friend that makes you smile a little bigger and a little brighter and a little deeper? The kind of smile that resonates through your being and warms your soul?  The kind of laughter that leaves you out of breath?

Well, I have that with Beth. 

We met in college on a soccer field and it was her energy that attracted me to her. She is upbeat and positive and has a spring in her step like none other. Our friendship was formed during early morning practices, evening games in the Southern California air, and away games to Fresno and San Luis Obispo. There's something to be said about chicks that compete together as a team - that bond is strong. My soccer teammates were my sorority sisters per se during college. 

Life happens as it does and after college Beth and I went our separate ways. Twenty years after graduation (yes, it's been twenty years - wow) we find ourselves at opposite ends of the country and radically different ways of life. Beth's a farmer in rural Vermont cutting heads off of chickens and enduring the bitter cold on a winter morning to feed the cows, and I'm, well, sipping cappuccinos watching The Today Show in densely populated West Los Angeles 

It had been seven years since we saw each other and we each were on our way to the biggest change of our lives - becoming mothers. Our bellies were just starting to pop with our firstborns when we snowshoed together on her farm years ago. When we first saw each other at the airport in Jackson Hole last week, well it sounds cliche, but it was like no time had passed.

The hug was fierce, the vibe as real as it comes, and off we went to laugh.  And laugh we did.

At the most ridiculous things wherever we were. In the middle of a swanky spa, on a long snowy walk along the Snake River, at a restaurant dining on the yummiest food I've had in a while, at her mountain home hanging by the fire.

Yes, Beth is the kind of friend where it doesn't matter how long it's been.  It always feels just like yesterday.  And we're older and maybe a little bit wiser and we're responsible and we're mothers, but the laughter is the same.  Exactly the same as when we were 19 years old kicking a ball around on a grassy field.

So let's give it up for deep, real, belly-shaking, corners-of-your-mouth-stinging, eyes-squinting, side-splitting laughter.  Friends who you can do that kind of laughing with is where. it's. at.  


Me and Beth

Beth and me along the Snake River

22 comments:

  1. Here's to laughter!

    I'm so glad you having a laughing friend!

    They are sooooo wonderful to have!

    Great pics...it looked...cold!

    brrr

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  2. great pictures.You are lucky to have such friends.!

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  3. Longtime friends are great! I talk to my BFF, who's in Guam, several times a week and it's like we are talking to one another from next door to each other. It's the same when we see each other - like no time has passed. Probably because we just talked on the phone the day before!

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  4. That's wonderful! So glad you had such a wonderful time! You both look so happy - you are very lucky.

    Now. What did ya bring me?

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  5. If I can't say, "My cheeks are hurting!" after a session with my BFF, who I see maaaaaybe once a year, something's disturbingly wrong! Friends like that are such a blessing.

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  6. Yeah! Loved the photos. I'm so glad you could get away and belly laugh. So, so, so much fun!

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  7. I LOVE that story!! And yes, my bff and I LAUGH AND LAUGH!

    And, so do my sister and I. And my brother and I.

    wait a minute.....Am I the laughing one???

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  8. being silly with a girl friend is the BEST!

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  9. Great spotlight on friends and laughing together. So cool that you didn't drop a beat even after being apart for so long.

    Thanks for stopping by. My avatar will return after Easter (sorry about the jelly-bean temptation background).

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  10. All of it sounds like absolute Heaven. I'm so glad it was - here's to a rejuvenated spirit.

    Yeah Beth!!!

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  11. Lee

    I would love to change the settings so that you can email me directly from a comment... but I have no idea how to do that... LOL

    My friend like that lives here in the city and I haven't seen her in a few months... I should probably go see her

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  12. I could certainly use one of those side-splitting belly laughs right about now

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  13. That's wonderful! What a wonderful friend to have!

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  14. Hooray for friends who can share/be the cause of/witness something worthy of a good belly laugh!

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  15. you two look so happy! i can just imagine what a blast you guys had. rock on, sistas!

    thanks for tributing with us today. good job.

    and i totally agree... nothing beats laughing your ass off!

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  16. I came over here to look around and saw you love Phish- you must be so excited that they have reunited and are touring!

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  17. You absolutely look like you could be sisters! I wish I had a friend like that. :-) I did once, but then we grew apart. It's wonderful that you two are still close.

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  18. I'm jealous now, I want to go spend time w/ my BFF (she lives far away too) and do what we do.

    Laugh Laugh Laugh & whatever else comes to mind.

    Glad you had a blast.

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  19. I so agree. I love that kind of friendship so much. I think it's one of the greatest joys in life. So I LOOOOVE this post.

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  20. Hey girl - I haven't visited my peeps in awhile (life is holding me hostage right now) so I wanted to see what you were up to. I didn't know you California people actually owned parkas! Who knew.

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  21. I have a 'beth' and MY GAWD, is she a life saver. Laughing and listening. That's all it takes sometimes.

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