Friends and regrets

The dishes in the dishwasher are put away, the dirty ones are now in the dishwasher and the beef enchilada filling is cooking in the slow cooker. I'm now sitting on my couch, my 49er blanket on my lap, watching a TV show and a plethora of thoughts suddenly came to me that I have to write down.

I had a great weekend...okay, so most of my days right now are like an extended weekend because I'm not working at the moment...because I spent it with a lot of friends. The only two friends I think I didn't see was April & Jason (well, of the ones that I'm closest with, anyway). Each event had it's own fun little theme to it and it got me to thinking. I truly have a very different, amazing, ecclectic, intelligent, talented, supportive, strong, faithful group of friends. There are so many ways that we are similar and so many ways that we're all very, very different. The journey that I've been on with them has been surreal at times....in good and bad ways. There have been hills, vallies, mountains, deep waters, straight and curvy roads...but they all have been marked with growth, sometimes together and sometimes apart.

I have to admit that I haven't always "rolled with the punches" or taken any changes well. But I don't have any regrets...and that's what inspired me to write this. I think we all wish that we made certain decisions that we didn't...it would've saved us a lot of heartache. But then we would have stunted our growth....so I don't regret anything.

What I do want though is to always keep in mind who my friends really are - that I always treat them with respect for being different or the same as me in ways...that I accept them always for who they are and not who I want them to be. That would be very selfish, and very human, for me to do or want.

And I hope that - no I know that - my friends feel the same about me. I am accepted for who I am, whether I change or stay the same.

I guess that I'm a little sentimental today after such a "friendly" weekend. I could possibly find a job elsewhere, far away from anyone I know. That's scary but something that many times I'm starting to believe: she's told me that I have a wonderful ability to make good friends wherever I go and she's been a witness to that firsthand. As I think about the friends I've made, there have only been a handful that were not good friends. For the most part, I am surrounded by a lot of amazing people. I see now that I've always had that blessing, not just here in Indiana.

So wherever I end up, I know there will be friends there - they just don't know me yet. :-)