I Got You, Babe
My girlfriends and I have had quite a few monkey wrenches thrown into our lives this summer. Layoffs, dumpages, questionable directions, questionable assertiveness. When we each lie awake at night trying to fall asleep, anxiety keeps us from moving into another day of unpleasantness, but the one thing we can count on is that we are not alone. Perhaps physically we are, but not in life. We each have one other as sisters to lean on through these trials: phone calls, marathon emails, dinners, sleepovers, bike rides, shopping therapy, short walks.
A study came out recently about how women’s lives are healthier and longer because of their strong friendships with other women. Female friends tend to talk to each other about problems as a form of therapy, which reduces stress and decreases the likelihood of health problems. We “get it out” and literally get the stress and precursors of disease out of our bodies. It is well known that women have fewer occurrences of cancer or heart problems than men and this study was undertaken to prove one of the reasons why. Men, unfortunately, as the study showed (and we already know), tend to internalize problems that eventually materialize into stress-related maladies such heart disease as well as mental and emotional problems affecting their families.
So this summer my girlfriends and I are looking out for each other in extra-special ways. We are making sure to get out and enjoy the summer weather and long days (twilight at 10 p.m. anyone?), especially on the weekends when we can leave everything behind and focus on ourselves. Challenging and exploratory bike rides have been the most common theme. Picking a page out of a book or throwing a dart onto a map or emailing a newspaper article about an interesting location have proven quite rewarding ventures. So far they’ve taken us to several new destinations. We mountain biked up abandoned logging roads into the Cascades surrounded by the mountains we’ve hiked and climbed. Looking up at the peaks we know so intimately, we feel them smiling down at us, proud of our strength and spirit for life. We’ve glided down freshly paved Rails-to-Trails into the heart of pastoral Washington, the trail overhung with big leaf maples or lined with daisies sprouting out from farmers’ fields. We discovered this new pursuit called track racing and the thrill of powering on a banked surface, all muscle and speed. We hiked along the skirt of our beloved mother Mt. Rainier, reveling in her wildflower display in a magnificent summer afternoon, all smiles and blue skies and meadows waiting for Monet’s brush. During the work day (working, really) we plan our 8 day bike trip to the San Juans and Vancouver Island.
This weekend we took our bikes to Whidbey Island for more adventure, leaving the car not knowing what the roads would bring or personal challenges we would meet. The whole day turned out to be a gift: blue skies, smooth pavement, endless hills, wide berms, few cars, coastal views of bays and the Sound, an hour lounging on beach logs in the sun at Fort Ebey State Park, and best of all the wonderful sense of accomplishment when we got back to the cars. For me, I found how strong I really am by doing all 43 miles and +2000 feet of climbing on Rosemary (we think she sabotaged the wheel on my road bike). It epitomized the phrase, “You never know what you can do until you try.” Each girl met her own challenge and ended the ride with a huge smile. Afterwards, we returned to a beach along the road to gorge on picnic goodies like rosemary bread, goat cheddar and brie, freshly picked blackberries and grapes, tortilla chips and guacamole, Rainier cherries, and dark chocolate. As we put down the blankets and spread, I said out loud, “We really are living a good life.” With that, we three girlfriends sat on the dark sandy beach of Puget Sound and watched the small boats on the water and the clouds above the Olympics, feeling how truly lucky we are to be who we are and have all that we do. All the men, jobs, and bosses can never take away what we do for ourselves, and what we do for each other.
I love you, girls. :)
