REACT…another amazing friend, another amazing chat!!

      Throughout these past days, as I read the transcripts of the lovely conversations with my incredible lady friends I realized something that in the back of my mind I knew and now need to put into words…

        just bare with me a little backstory….I am very picky and I don’t call just anyone my friend, not because regular folk aren’t worthy of me or my time…oh no, not at all, to me the line between ACQUAINTANCE and FRIEND is very clearly defined… I am a very, very open person (as you have noticed if you have been a constant follower of my blog) and I need to know that the person I’m talking to is equally open…I need to trust people, being my friend involves knowing all my personal stuff and that, I know, can’t be entrusted to just anyone…

(so why do I write all this on a blog if who knows who is going to read it? well, because no one I know reads my blog, so there’s no face to connect to…as far as my peace of mind is concerned, I could just as well be writing in the wind, up to now I know someone reads this because there are numbers to prove it, but no faces, no voices, no opinions, NO JUDGING, nothing!)

OK train of thought, let’s make a U-turn to the original topic…

So anyway, my choices in friends depends on how trustworthy I feel they are and how much I sense they trust me, I need for it to be reciprocate…

but after these conversations, something much more valuable and more importantly THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME OR MY PICKY-NESS has come up…

these women have given me so much but it is inherent to the way they are…

they aren’t doing this exclusively for me…

it is their essence: they are intelligent, trustworthy, empowered women in their every day lives

and with everyone in their lives…

I am blessed to be one of those that gets to enjoy and be benefitted from it…

another of these fabulous women is Laura…

My sister-friend Cristy, Laura and I have many things in common, as well as many differences

But I’ll let you discover these differences and similarities yourself…

Laura, my dear friend, I know you’ve got a fabulously incredible -wish I had a tenth of- MEMORY, since when do we know each other? DESDE CUANDO NOS CONOCEMOS

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LAURA: I think it was a t the beginning of times…I’ve got some very clear images in my mind: first day of school- kinder at Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy- in carpool, you with your two braids and your red and white russian ribbons. then after many carpooling days (with Edmundo, Polito, Arturo, you and I) your mom had a Datsun (or I may be wrong) very funny, always in a hurry, cursing (which made me laugh). For some strange reason images of your mom’s travel agency come to mind. I also remember quite vividly having gone to the movies with you and your parents to watch the first Star Wars movie, why do I remember these things? who knows…

ME: I knew you had a fabulous memory, one more reason to be grateful for having you as a friend, you can fill in parts of my life story…jajajaaa…but my mom’s cursing I think will follow us where ever we go and if it doesn’t I can make up for it!!

OK let’s keep taking advantage of your powerful memory…do you have a favorite decade? TU DÉCADA FAVORITA

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LAURA: Honestly, I’ve had a very priveledged life and could say that I’ve been very happy most of the time, but I can answer the question in the opposite : I do have an UN-FAVORITE decade (understanding by decade a 10 year lapse and not necessarily from 10 to 20 or from 20 to 30).

I could describe it like this: I wouldn’t even consider revisiting the ten years from when I was 23 to 33 years old! Those were the years with my most important events but they were also the years with my biggest sufferings.

In that decade I got my university degree from law school, I married very much in love, gave birth to my two daughters, had my first real job, got my master’s degree, became a teacher at my alma mater, had a full time job, was general manager of a company, learned to cook, started to drive (believe it or not), passed my driving test and got my license, bought my first new car, got divorced, became a single mother, etc…although there are many marvelous moments in this decade I’m happy it’s all just memories now and feel no nostalgia for re-living them outside my memory. 

ME: You’ve left me speechless…and you’ve proved the old saying WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER!!! You were one before 23 and resurfaced a totally enhanced YOU 10 years later, you made many decisions and acted on them with a firm hand an many topics on which most of us linger on and on…so

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How has your self-concept changed through out all this?…TU AUTOCONCEPTO, COMO HA CAMBIADO?

LAURA: Basically before I used to consider (as a possibility) that I could achieve anything NOW I KNOW I CAN, AND I DO!

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ME: All modesty aside, how do you define yourself…MODESTIA APARTE…COMO TE DEFINES?

LAURA: Loyal, solidaire, independent, flexible, adaptable, sociable and trully leaving all modesty aside EMPOWERED to do may things: to change my mind, to learn, to create the life I want for myself, to be a role model, to give and serve, to try new things, to reinvent myself, break with paradigms in my life for my girls empowering them with it (which has a multiplying effect)…I just know I can and in knowing this lies the power.

ME: you know, as a mother, specially of girls, someone’s always reminding you that you have to be a good role model for them, something that honestly made me very nervous but you have decided to be one that is, from my view point VERY ADMIRABLE!! it is part of your relationship with your daughters and you don’t preach you act!!

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Now, with so much lived in so little time, tell me how have your strategies changed when dealing with life’s curves?

LAURA: Definitely, that  decade was so difficult because it was the conception, labor and birth of my adulthood. Until before my 30s life happened to me; after my 30th birthday I started to choose what I wanted and to take responsability for my decidions taken and for the ones I decided not to take (which is also a decision in itself). Now that I’m an adult in its full expression, difficult situations don’t cause me stress because I know it’ll all change; the good and the bad equally shall pass, so you’ve got to enjoy the good to the fullest and put up with the bad the most glamorous way possible. What is now the center of your existence, next year on this same date may not have any relevance to you or your life…when you finally grasp this concept you acquire perspective (you as an architect know about this!)

ME: jajajaa oh yes!!

Another fabulous woman…am I lucky to have these friends or what?

stay tuned for more on our chat!!