I apologize for missing Born on a Thursday this week. Moving out of my apartment eclipsed the post (while an actual eclipse was happening)! The last three days have been filled with dramatic changes of plans and sweeping decisions that all boil down to home, family connection, rootedness, shifting relationships, and just plain old residence. (If this isn’t First Chakra stuff, I don’t know what is!)

Right now, almost everything I own is in a storage unit. My entire life’s belongings, sans I-don’t-know-how-many-books-that-were-absorbed-into-my-family’s-library-from-when-I-originally-moved-to-Arizona-in-2007 and my Cruiser Bicycle, fit into an 8’x4′ storage unit.

After three days of marathon moving and cleaning, I thought I could go back to work. No going! Last night, I actually fell asleep on a chair outside after dinner. I was really tired. This morning I woke up with an aching throat and body, and I said to myself, “Yeah, waitressing isn’t happening today.” I texted my supervisor to break the news, fell back to sleep, and dreamed I was waitressing. Tomorrow is my last day at the restaurant where I work. I figure if I just relax today, I should be fine.

I saw three friends whom I haven’t seen face-to-face in fifteen years today! They are such sweet people. They flew in from Los Angeles and are going to Sedona for some healing work. These last two very intense (and dark for me) years have taught me that my friends are so important. And of course, because I was going through a dark time, I isolated, so I barely saw anyone. Now that I am beginning to feel better, I am making an effort to see people – and oh yeah(!) – it feels great to see my friends!

This brings me to a post I wanted to share from the blog Superhero Journal. The post is called A Love List: What your mama really wants for Mother’s Day.  Here’s an excerpt from the post:

I went to a birthday party for a dear friend recently. Since Laurie had been going through some major transitions this year, we wanted to gift her something really special and from the heart. Sherry suggested we all make her a “Love list.”

A Love list is pretty simple.

1. Write down 10 things you love about this person.
2. Tell them what you admire about them, what you appreciate, why they inspire you.
3. Read it to them in person, over the phone, or put a stamp on it and send it off with love.

I thought I’d try this for all of my friends – my cross-section of friends is very broad so the list becomes a bit more general rather than personalized for anyone specific, though, still, I’ll give it a shot.

A Love List for My Friends 

1. I love that I can always count on my friends to make me laugh. My friends are funny in their own ways, some are sarcastic, some are irreverent, some just notice odd things that are funny.
2. I love that my friends don’t rub it in when I make a mistake, and will even give me a shoulder to cry on (or a couch to sleep on) if I need it.
3. I love that my friends are generous, understanding, and compassionate people.
4. I love that my friends are interested in being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They do all sorts of things – yoga, cycling, hiking, cross fit, dance, walking, making music, white water rafting . . .
5. I love that my friends are adventurous – they all have such great stories – from the night  one spent with Iggy Pop, to living on an ashram in India, to motorcycling across New Zealand!
6. I love that my friends are so varied, and that there is so much to learn from all of them.
7. I love that my friends “get it” when I fall in love.
8. I love that my friends inspire me – they push on against all odds and do really amazing things with their lives and still have time for friendship.
9. I love that my friends still love me even when I disappear into isolation from time to time.
10. I love the bright shining lights that my friends are to me. “We are stardust, we are golden . . .” Yes!

So, yeah! Even now, as everything in my life feels/is uprooted, I’m feeling a lot of gratitude for all the people in my life. It certainly has made all the transition I’m navigating through so much easier.

On to new adventures!

Check out the Love List post from Superhero Journal here.