Friday, November 2, 2012

Thirty Days of Thankful - Day 2 - My Best Friend

Note: Today is day two of my series "30 Days of Thankful."

Throughout our lives, we'll have many friends.  Work friends.  School friends. Friends we meet in clubs.  At meetings.  Though significant others.  Through our families.  Some of these people may come and go, but a special few will be there for you through thick and thin.  Like my best friend Vino.

I don't know that words can do my best friend any justice.  We've known each other since the beginning of 6th grade.  (I think that was 1992-ish)  I was a cold, anti-social, nerd, basically, and Vino was boisterous, cheery, and athletic.  It's no wonder why I hated her at first.  We had seemingly nothing in common.  But one fateful night, during open house, we were paired up to sell tickets to win a pumpkin artistically carved by the school janitor.  I can't remember a thing we talked about that night, but somehow we ended up being friends. 

We were both always in honors classes, but while I was in band, Vino was out being the school's tennis champ.  We're both only children so we had the same pressure to succeed and do our parents proud.  I can't imagine middle school or high school was all that easy for Vino.  Being one of the few Indian girls in a lily white, redneck suburb couldn't have been fun.  I remember a couple people making horribly racist jokes at her expense, and I always felt bad about that. 

We went to homecoming together. Talked about boys together. Went to the mall together.  I was there for her and she was there for me.  The summers she went to India to see family were always hard on me.  But I always knew in my heart that time and space wouldn't keep us from being friends.
Senior trip in high school

Vino went off to OSU for college and I stayed home and went to Lakeland and then CSU.  While many of my friends scoffed at my decision to stay home, Vino was very supportive.  I went to visit her throughout her college years and we always tried to get together when she was home for the holidays.  We didn't talk all that often, but I knew where to find her when I needed her. 

After graduation, I started working at the company I'm still at today.  Vino eventually went back to grad school and moved away to Atlanta.  She decided to change paths and come back to Cleveland.  We got older.  Started and ended relationships.  Moved.  Bought houses.  Cars.  Had triumphs.  Tragedies.  But through it all, we've always been there for each other. We might not talk every day, but we have the kind of friendship where we can not talk for awhile and then just pick back up right where we left off.

The day I moved out of my ex's house, Vino took me out to dinner.  She said something that pretty much no one else said.  She said she was sad for me, as confused as I was, and that she hoped things would work out the way I wanted them to.  While I appreciated the advice everyone else gave me (burn down his house! cut his tires!), Vino knew me well enough to comfort me in a way no one else could. 

Vino is currently in grad school and is set to graduate in the spring and I couldn't be more proud of her.  It took her a little while to figure out what she has a passion for, but I respect her for taking the time to really figure out what it is she'd like to do for work.  (can someone tell me how to figure that out for myself?)  Her birthday is in a few weeks, and I always look at her birthday as the beginning of a new year for us.  We both turn 32 this year, and although I've been saying this since the days in high school when we used to go to T.G.I.Fridays for pie in the sky on our birthdays, I really think this year is going to be our year.  Big stuff is going to happen for us.  And I'm glad to know that whatever does happen, we're going to go through it together.  Love you, Vino!  And I'm thankful to have you in my life!
 
Today. Well...this summer.

1 comment:

  1. Roxxxxxyyyyyy, this is sooooooo sweeeeeeeeet!! This is the best way to start my morning! I am so grateful to have you in my life, you really are one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for! Love ya girl! and Thank you so much for these kind words, it really made my day :) <3

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