When is the last time you penciled in a little quality time with your best girlfriends? If you are scratching your head trying to remember when your last ladies night was, then I think it is safe to say a bitch-sesh with your besties is long overdue. Good Lord, girl time is vital and everyone could use (as in “needs”) time alone with their tribe. That goes for me too. Listen, we are never going to stop being busy. If you think after-school activities, jobs, events, and every other responsibility life throws at you is going to miraculously disappear one day and suddenly your schedule is going to open like the parting of the Red Sea, I have bad news for you. Never gonna happen. And, while you are back home tackling life’s chores, you are missing out on experiences with folks you love and adore. Stop that!
Make the time. Consider girl time your therapy session, only “hold the therapist, extra wine, please!” Lord knows we could all use a good therapy session and I get the tug over time. You feel guilty because you “should” be home to put little Suzy to bed or clean a closet or get some extra work done. The voice in your head is always reminding you of your to-do list that is so long and only getting longer. Good news! It’s gonna be there when you get back. Make girl time a priority. It’s good for you.
Think about the last time you hung out with your ladies. How hard did you laugh? What about the conversations? I don’t know about you, but when I am with my sisters from other misters, the side-splitting laughs are aplenty and I always leave with a sore jaw. I feel lighter. I am always able to get some stresses and whatever challenge I am experiencing out into the open and almost always end up heading home feeling stronger, refreshed and still giggling from the shenanigans. Girls need this! We need to talk. We are talkers. And, we need listeners and advice-givers. We need perspective from someone outside of our four walls because let’s be honest, our partners can’t always give us what we need. And that’s okay! Because we have girlfriends.
I am part of a tribe that takes girl time seriously. We don’t ever go too long without seeing each other. Sometimes we need it, most of the time it’s just time. The requirements are simple. All we need are good food, lots of it, alcohol, lots of it and each other. When we grew up and life got real, we doubled down when it came to making time to get together. It is a key part of our self-care regimen. We have been known to bring out the clown noses in dire situations and when it is all said and done, the world seems a little bit brighter.
Don’t deny yourself moments with friends filled with laughs, maybe some tears and stories about memories you made way back in the day. Drink too much and let it all hang out with the girls who have been with you through it all. Living life is not about the lists and the tasks and the schedules. Life is about moments with your people filled with libations, laughter and heading home rejuvenated so you can tackle that list. So, go on. Start that text thread. You and I both know your phone is right next to you. No excuses. Text your ladies. Put a date on the calendar. I don’t claim to know everything but I know one thing for sure. You won’t regret making that call.
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