What are friends for?

Hello blogland.

It's quite early in the world of jogging and blogging but i had a spare few minutes so it the spirit of seizing the day, i thought i would start it but sharing some thoughts with you all. Because really, is there anything more fascinating than my thoughts on a Monday morning? Surely not.

A couple of years ago, a few to be exact, i was wandering around South East Asia for no particular reason. It was kind of like an extended holiday, a chance to reflect on my life, an opportunity to spend time with my new husband sans housemates, work, family pressure (his, not mine) and really, an excuse to quit my very stressful job.
Whilst away i did manage to reflect on many aspects of my life-I decided to go back to study for example, one afternoon when smoking a Burmese cigar and watching the river, simply because I could and I felt a great sense of social responsibility towards contributing to this beautiful world in any way that i could. Luck affords us the luxury of choice.

I also thought lots about family. We decided to move in with my mother in law when we got back to Melbourne. She'd been depressed and was struggling a little bit. I envisioned afternoon cups of tea and long talks about my husband as a child. I imagined we'd cheer her up just by our very presence. That we'd envelope her in our newly wed love and she'd suddenly bound out of bed and be ready to live her life. Nope.
Another thing i thought about was my friends. I missed them all SO much while i was away in the way that one does when one is stuck in a country with little more than a bad photocopied version of American Psycho and ones quiet husband. I remember thinking to myself that i have a friend to cover all bases. Someone to tell me the truth no matter what, someone to tell me what i want to hear no matter what. Someone who has seen all the bad bits and still loves my guts and friends who are new enough that I want to do my hair before meeting up. Friends that i can call when i want to get drunk. Friends i can call when I want to whinge about the fact i am so hung over.

I had no idea at that time that my friends would become so important to me. Even more important. I didn't know that those afternoon cups of tea would turn into meeting up with my friend Kate in cafes so i could cry endlessly about the mess i had found myself in. No clue then that the long talks about my husband would take place not with my mother in law, but with my sisters. Didn't know then that our newly wed love would hit an enormous speed hump and that by our third wedding anniversary, i'd be attending my own divorce party with my incredible friends.

What would i do without them? Really? What on Earth would I do?

And now i have friends that my ex husband does not even know about. Links and connections that are so strong that our own shrink in comparison. There is Welsh, of course. So funny and strange and beautiful. Then there's a new work friend, also funny, inspiring and insightful. My new house mate. Friends of friends.
The circle keeps widening and i knock on wood and thank my lucky stars that I have them. What are friends for? They are saving my life a thousand times over and for making my life one worth saving.