Girls' trip

Last weekend I went to the beach for a 'girls trip'.

I have attended girls' trips in the past with this group of women...and with other groups also.

This particular trip is ten women (myself included)....which makes the trip EXTREMELY affordable.....

we go to the beach.
we take turns cooking meals.
and we drink.

On some of the trips....that's it.
it's all about getting away...no responsibility....no kids "mommy i want" or "mommy i need" "mommy, mommy"
just...for a few days....doing EXACTLY what you want (or.....NOT having to do the things you DON'T wanna do).

or at least....that is what we THINK it's about before we leave home.

these women......
one of them is a very good friend of mine.....from high school.
the rest of them all live in my neighborhood, but i only see them once a year.....maybe we'll run into one another in the grocery....we'll hug....or chit chat for a few minutes 'how're the kids?'...that kind of thing.....but I don't really TALK to the other eight women except for once a year.....on this trip.

but when we're there.....those four days...we share a closeness that hard to put to words.

we say "what happens on girls trip STAYS on girls trip"

but that's not about things that we DO...it's about what we SAY.

the precious moments on this trip are when two or three of us find ourselves alone together........and we share who we are.
and we laugh....
and we cry....
and we encourage one another...
or....we just cry together.

we share secrets.....we share our fears.....we talk about our children and we talk about our own childhoods.

we talk about everything.

Saturday we were on the beach....sitting on those short beach chairs...in a big circle facing one another....listening to music....some of us reading, some napping...and I was looking at these women....thinking about how fortunate we are...to have one another...to have 'this'.

It occurred to me that most men do not.

sure, they have their own thing.....maybe they hunt or fish or play golf together....they let off steam....let go of the stress....

but I'm thinking that most men can't or don't sit with other men.....and talk about what's going on with their spouse, or their children, or their parents...or just within themselves....and cry.

I'm thinking....that the only place I'm aware of that men have to do this is in the rooms of 12 steps.

On Sunday, we all packed up and came home....back to work...to our families....to our lives.....I won't spend time with most of these women until this time next year....when....for a few days....we will just 'be' together.....and know that we are not alone......and we will share our experience, strength and hope.