Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by—I’m so glad you’re here! 😁
How have you all been?! I hope you’ve had a great last few weeks! Personally, I’m going to need about six months to recover from 8 days of doing All The Things with my bffl, Sophie, while she was in town! As Pops put it, “It was good that you had a partner in crime again,” and it really was! 🫶
Back on campus together for the first time since, well, the pic below!
But, to be honest, I was kind of nervous going into it, just from a mental health perspective. How would my anxiety respond to A.) being off from work and out of my routine, and B.) having delightful companionship for a Limited Time Only?
You know what? Pretty darn well. The vibe was entirely this, just like in college:
just less begrudgingly 😂
And it’s not like we did anything wild. We went to Target and the mall (and random stores, and the outlets...). I dragged took her to the botanical garden and an AAA baseball game. We hung out with my mom and doted on Pudge (who was over the moon with all the extra attention). We ate junk food, and she got me (and Pops LOL) hooked on Below Deck: Sailing Yacht.
It was all so normal and so wonderful. To have company doing the “fun” things I usually do by myself (hi Target and Ulta) was such a delight.
Literally sitting in the Target parking lot LOL.
And, hey, I drove us to all of those places! The last time Sophie was here, I hadn’t even done exposure therapy yet. I think I drove exactly one time in college. She kept marveling about how calm I was behind the wheel, which I guess is pretty darn miraculous if you’re jumping directly from 2013 into 2023!
Another miraculous thing? That I’ve been doing okay since Sophie went back home. Historically, separation from her has been rough. Legitimately panic-inducing and heartbreaking. It is so bizarre to live with someone in college and then graduate and live 3,000 miles apart. But this time around, the joy of connection has overshadowed any pain of separation. As uncertain as I was about my mental health going into her visit, quality time with her enhanced my life way more than avoiding potential triggers could. What a concept!
It seems I’m in a very different place than I was 10 years ago. Growth can seriously sneak up on you. 💖
