So no one told you life was gonna be this way *clap*clap*clap*clap*

I’ve been re-watching my DVDs of FRIENDS season 10 lately. Was I the only one who paid money for the whole Rembrants cd only to find out that this was the only tolerable song on it? Anyways, I got to thinking, what do they mean by "there" when they say "I'll be there for you"?

After ten years of crazy antics, but ultimately faithful friendship to each other, the crew disbands, the series ends. Based on the show, loyalty in friendship was supposedly contingent on geographic proximity. Can you really stay good friends with someone who isn’t your room or hall mate anymore?

10 years ago, I met Emily on a shuttle in downtown Santa Barbara. We shared a glorious year in our college dorm room, B309. But our friendship was really solidified when Emily went abroad to study in Spain. We were really good roommates, but we’re freaking amazing long distance friends. And that’s a good thing – cause everyone scatters after college, but for me, that didn’t have to mean losing one of the greatest gifts my college years gave to me.

Being “there” for one another has meant loving on each other from California, Texas, Virginia, Spain, Sri Lanka, and soon to come, Maine. There has been little about our friendship that has been convenient, but Emily has been “there” for me as we graduated college, got our first jobs, got married, explored career options and grad school, supported our husbands through grad school, and now as we are entering into motherhood.

Seeing as how we live in a time, which forces us to redefine “neighbor” in order to have any longevity in our relationships, I think its worthwhile to reflect on our friendship and figure out how we’ve managed so well. I want us to be there for each other for the decade to come. I want to see if we’ve learned anything worth offering to others. 

Who couldn’t use a little less loneliness, a little more support, a lot more laughter, and heaps more love? I think this is one of the great human projects: to figure out how to love each other better. So join us in this journey. Test out some of our tricks, offer us some suggestions, or just enjoy a good laugh. It’ll be good to have you “here” with us!