I stay in touch, by choice, with a number of people I have known since childhood. Recently, my husband and I renewed our wedding vows and I invited 3 of my long time friends to our celebration. The problem? You don't really have a chance to have in depth conversations with guests at your own gathering. The solution? Have a separate gathering to talk it over.
I sent a text message to the group proposing dinner at a local restaurant within the next 10 days and by some miracle of fate, we were all able to meet up within only a few days. I had told my family, then reminded them the day of the "dinner with friends." They forgot. "Who are you having dinner with," my younger son asked.
"Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte," I laughed. None of us fit the descriptions, but I liked to think of myself as Carrie in this case.
"Who?"
"My high school friends," I answered though we all know our history is longer it is easiest to identify with this classification.
Was I anxious? Well, I was the first to arrive and when asked what I'd like to drink while I wait I asked for lemonade while my mind raced ahead - "It's ok to have an adult beverage with your childhood friends," and so I asked, "Can you add a shot of vodka?" Voila. The start of a trend: pink lemonade + vodka + new and old stories = lifetime memories.
We can't help but take a peek down memory lane when we are gathered, but like any seasoning, this is just the background flavor, not the main course. We catch up, we share a little bit about our children who range in age from college down to junior high. Yes, we share a little gossip, after all, that's where the giggles come from -* though no reputations were harmed in the telling of the stories. (*disclaimer intended to make any paranoid readers think we were talking about them feel at ease)
A three hour dinner date with three wonderful women plus me. We promise to gather again soon and I look forward to catching up with a splash of looking back.
