A going away present...

I have a dear friend who is moving far away to seek her fortune and future.  I thought long and hard about what to give her for a going away gift.  She is so important to me and I only wanted the best, so in the end I decided to give her a bit of what I feel I do best, create with words.  So here it is Toadstool, your very own blog post…I really hope you like it. 

...I’m giving you all fair warning.  What you are about to read is full of sentiment and sap.  It is sweet and there may be some inside jokes you don’t quite get.   It is also heartfelt and sincere, and I know of two people at least who will likely be crying before the last sentence (one of which is shedding a few tears in the process of writing it and she hasn’t even made it to the end of the introduction...and having never developed any sort of regular shopping schedule, she is also out of tissues)... 

A tiny (5ft), primary color loving, perky southern girl and a tall (6ft), sarcastic, goth Yankee chick walk in to a law office.  The tiny one says to the tall one, “Let’s go see a movie about banjos.”  The tall one consents and so began one of the most unexpected, but greatest, friendships of my life.

Were we to have our own trading cards (which would of course be rare and highly collectable), our stats would indicate a low likelihood for friendship. Yet despite our difference in stature, age, taste in clothing and region of origin, we were able to find kinship of spirit that is, I believe, quite rare. 

You are my little sister.  You have come to me for advice, asking me to share the wisdom you believe I have gained from experience.  This expression of your trust and faith in me is one of the greatest compliments I have been given.  I can only hope that whatever words I have offered have been helpful, and that one day you will be able to do the same for when some young friend of yours who finds that her heart is breaking, or her world is changing faster than expected, or her trust in someone is shattered, turns to you for advice.  In the time that I have known you, you have grown so much and I believe that you will have plenty of  wisdom to share one day.

You are my cheerleader.  You stand before my waves of self doubt, with pom-poms held in your clenched fists and shout out a list of what you think are my greatest qualities.  You tell me all of the reasons why whatever small thing (and it usually is a small thing) is bothering me is unimportant and remind me constantly of what I have going for me, and if all else fails, “How can you be afraid of anything?  You are a giant!” 

Should you ever find yourself in a similar moment, I will gladly do the same, but if you are unable to reach me by phone, email, or carrier pigeon remember the following:  You are not dying.  Breathe. You are mighty. You are well equipped to handle whatever life brings.  And by the way, you look pretty today.  If all else fails, break something.

You are the person who didn’t bat an eyelash when I showed up at your car carrying the skull of a dead moose, but simply said, “Oh, I thought it was a cow.”  You are the person who believes that I really can save old ladies and didn’t hesitate to literally shove me into the face of danger.  You are the one who showed up at my door with junk food and cheap red wine when my heart was breaking.  You are my Sunday pub strolling buddy, my world traveling companion, and my partner in hypothetical (but well planned) crime.  You are the best Valentine’s Day date I ever had, my one and only not-a-boyfriend, my favorite spinster in training. 

So as you make your return to the land of North Carolina and graduate school, know that at least one person here in the great north is going to miss you tons.  While I am bidding a friend farewell, I also can’t help but feel like I am witnessing the emergence of a butterfly from her cocoon, fluttering her wings and launching herself into the air, eager to ride every wind and taste every flower (pause for the did-you-really-have-to-go-for-THAT-metaphor eye roll…would you prefer a bat leaving the cave?) aaaaaaaaand  rewind!… I can’t help but feel as though I am witnessing the first flight of a young bat leaving her cave, squeaking into the night, eagerly sampling the legs of every insect that crosses her path.  I can’t wait to see what this next adventure brings in to your life, and how much you will grow over the coming years. 

You are my friend.  I am so grateful for all you have brought into my life, but more than anything I want to thank you for being that.  May your future be full of love,  joy, pizza and red wine, and may you one day have a date with a card carrying member of the RHMWPWNFYFPT* Society…or a trip to the moon.

PS – Never date a townie and I’ll see you in Paris…much love. 

PPS – You have mascara running down your face and yeah, I’m out of tissues.

*Ruggedly Handsome Men with PHD’s Who Never Forget Your Favorite Pizza Topping