Reverb10 Prompt: Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? by Victoria Klein author of 27 Things to Know About Yoga
In 2010 I’ve really come to appreciate my friends. I have always been appreciative of them, don’t get me wrong, but this year I have been seeing them even more clearly and become even more deeply grateful for them.
There are 7 of us (10 if you include the kids) that get together most Friday nights, and then another 5-6 who join us when they can and we play Rock Band, or board games, or watch stupid movies or just chat. We really get each other and each of us accepts the others, not in spite of our various crazinesses but BECAUSE of those crazinesses.*
We have a running joke in the group that no matter what (geometric) plane of geekery any of us happens to exist on, someone else in the group is on that plane with us. So far we haven’t found any geeky topic obscure enough that someone else hasn’t done it before or at least heard of it. We’ve spun the joke out into a pretend movie ‘Geeks on a Plane’ ** in which some hapless individual is trapped in an airplane bathroom when a geek drops from the ceiling to demand if she prefers Kirk or Picard.
That sort of stuff isn’t going to work with many people, but we’re all over it. And I’m grateful to be part of this circle.
If you asked me to describe myself, I’d probably use a lot of buts and ifs (I’m a good mother but… I’m a good writer if…) but I’ve always described myself as a good friend, no ifs or buts required. So to show my gratitude for these people, I’ve mostly been keeping on keeping on, but I do take it up a notch when I can – always going to pick up the ones who don’t drive, keeping a variety of snacks on hand to match everyone’s dietary restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, no citric acid, chamomile tea), collecting their kids from school, planning events for us all.
Even thinking about how lucky I am to have these people who really care about me, who really accept me, who will really help me when I need it, in my life makes me tear up a little so I’d better sign off before I get all maudlin.
* Made-up word alert!
**See what we’ve done there? TWO types of planes – and a silly movie reference!