I was in danger of not remembering what she was like before. I had remembered her face as I had seen it a thousand times before. I knew the sound of her voice but couldn’t quite remember what exactly it was that made her laugh-not just any laugh- the kind that hurt and had no sound and often came with tears. It was not until recently that a friend of mine helped me remember. This friend had known her since 1st grade. We had lunch and it was though she reappeared before my very eyes. I left that day feeling that a piece of my old self had been saved. You see the person I could not remember was me- the old me before kids and my husband. Don’t get me wrong I cherish my life with them and cannot imagine my life without them, but I also feel like I was losing myself piece by piece. The old me was not to be found. Self doubt was slowly creeping in to things I usually feel good about- my job, taking care of the kids, making the easiest of decisions.. I am a person that has likes, dislikes, to do things, to feel successful…

This childhood friend has brought a better appreciation of remembering to take care of myself. Self care is a cliche term but is so crucial to the success of other relationships. We have to love and nurture ourselves in order to take care of others. You know the old me wasn’t so bad- she could be a lot of fun and not so serious. Maybe I should introduce to my kids. I think they’d like her. My husband would probably love to catch a glimpse of the girl he met so many years ago. Hell, I’m pretty fond of her myself.

My first driver’s license 🤦‍♀️