30 Days of Gratitude: Friendships Part 1
Last night I had dinner at the home of two friends I have known for half my life.
Dan was my first friend in law school. We both grew up in Wisconsin and had spent the last few years in the DC area before relocating to Minnesota to attend the U of M. However, I had left behind a boyfriend of four years and he had recently married. I soon met his wife Natasha and they became a part of the group of friends to whom I would be closest during my law school stint.
I do not have fond memories of law school. Early on, I was intimidated by the entire experience. I felt inferior to most of my fellow students. When I got solid Cs on all my first semester exams, I truly felt like I did not know how I was supposed to think. I drank too much. I got myself into some situations where I was not proud of my behavior. One involved an interaction with a police officer where, to this day, I cannot believe I was not arrested.
But I digress….throughout law school, Dan and Natasha remained dependable friends….until that time second year when Dan and I made the unfortunate decision to be partners in a moot court project. I think we would agree that there could not possibly be two people more ill-suited for this particular project than the two of us. Without going into details, the horrible culmination (eruption? collapse? meltdown? apocalypse?) occurred when I walked out of their house during the NBA All Star game (which he was watching, much to my extreme irritation) and left him to finish it by himself. My decision to leave startled me and left me feeling quite uncomfortable because by leaving, I was relinquishing control.
Dan finished the project by pulling an all-nighter (something I NEVER did in all my years of education) and I don’t even remember the grade we got. Our fight was the talk of the school.
And then there was reconciliation.
And a year later, there was graduation from law school!
That was 22 years ago. We all remained in Minneapolis after law school. What I cherish about this friendship, is that we have been getting together for dinner (mostly at their house) several times a year for the last 22 years. I can recall the first meal they hosted when we were still in law school. I brought cannoli that were way too sweet. Since then, I have had a front row seat to their three children growing up. I also got to see, first hand, major home remodeling projects. They have always had an assortment of animals, some of whom I have looked in on once and again. I have so enjoyed hearing about Natasha's adventures. The dinner discussions have always been lively and I have gone home feeling loved in that familial way. Their combined powers of persuasion convinced me to join Facebook.
Of all my friendships, this is one of those that means the most to me.