I admit, it was something I was bracing for.
At 6 and 8 they’re so close in age that really I think they’d easily name each other as their best friend but still there are kids at school who I know they like a lot.
The Benefits of a Brother: Built-in BFF
Amazingly, so far neither one of them has mentioned it. And when I bring it up they shrug it off.
But a few weeks ago, two of my closest amigos asked me to join them for a farewell dinner at the CN Tower’s revolving restaurant ( aptly named 360) and as we sat and talked and laughed as per usual, there was a moment when I found myself missing them already.
It was the first time it happened but it won’t be the last. This weekend at a going away party hosted by my good friend Kathy Buckworth I saw a few more friends and had to fight off tears.
Planning this trip has been like lifting blinders off my life: the combination of packing away our things, realizing how little we need and can carry with us and seeing our house as the bricks and mortar it is (not the home we create when we live there) has provide me with an ability to see it with fresh eyes.
The same is true of the city.
Driving into the city to meet my gal pals Amy Rosen (foodie extraordinaire) and Carol Perehudoff (spa diva) for dinner that evening I was stuck in traffic on Kingston Rd. I happened to look up. And there it was. The CN Tower is like a beacon for me. No matter where I am returning from seeing the silhouette reminds me that I’m almost home. Seeing it then, on my way in to see my friends for the last time for a long time, made it all the more poignant.
Home
I’m not an overly social animal. I’m not a fan of long telephone conversations and I’m not a girl who needs a Saturday night party to get by. Sure I love an impromptu lunch date with a girlfriend and if you invite me to an evening event chances are I’ll come, but for the most part I’m pretty comfortable on my own.
Or at least I was.
Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, this blog – has changed things. I’m out at book launches and BBQ’s way more since I joined. Sharing a drink or a nibble with online pals who’ve become real life friends has been a plus. And mingles organized by professional organizations like SATW and TMAC mean that over the years my colleagues are now also my friends.
On the rare occasion when I do pick up the phone to call a girlfriend, 9 times out of 10 it’s someone I’ve known for most of my adult life. In a few short weeks, they’ll become a little harder to reach too.
And when I’m miles away with only their online versions it’s going to be tough.
Two of my amigas
I keep reminding myself it’s for a good time, not a long time. That it’s a dream come true. And that I’m taking my bestest friends with me.
Still, I’m going to miss the real life goodness of this place and its people. I’m looking forward to our trip but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also looking forward to seeing the CN Tower again, after a year away and knowing that I’m home again.
What do you think would be the thing you’d miss most on a long trip?
