the gals

Tomorrow night (Saturday), I’m going on a “girls’ night out.”

This isn’t such a novel concept for most women I know. While most of my gal pals don’t have an abundance of female friends, they have *some*. Yet for most of my adult life, if I’ve had any, it’s been one, and very often she’s lived elsewhere. The experience of having a close girlfriend in the same basic vicinity as me is something I haven’t really had since college. And it wasn’t all that often even then — the person from college who’s now a close friend, AnnaLisa, has become much, much dearer to me since (ironically) we graduated and I relocated back to Arkansas.

Julie showed me what a great experience it can be to have a gal pal close — emotionally and geographically. Now I’ve met Sandra, who I’ve known just a whisper of time but who’s already found a place near and dear in my life. And there’s Debbie, who’s been around a bit longer and who also brings so much fun with her when we’re together.

Having female friends again, especially ones who share so many life experiences and interests … well, it just overwhelms me. These women I’ve mentioned, going back to AnnaLisa and even the women I spent time with in high school, they provide a spirit of understanding, support and sympathy in ways my guy friends (and I love you all, guys!) can’t, really. It’s not a judgment; just truth.

I used to think I could survive without female friends, that I could rise above the need to spend countless hours discussing the important intricacies of picking out underwear, for example. And I’ll admit it: I have done without, and I survived. Survived well, even. But dammit, it’s just so much more FUN when I don’t have to “survive,” but instead can just do those things that come naturally to me. We’re girls. We should talk about girl stuff. Underwear are *important* things. ‘Nuff said.

So the three of us — Sandra, Debbie and me — will be girl-talkin’ up a storm while painting pottery tomorrow night. Then — and I know some of you will just LOVE this — maybe we’ll join hands and sing “Kumbaya.” Hahaha — just kidding!

Still. You guys will never know, because there’s NO BOYS ALLOWED! 🙂