What is Galentine’s Day? I’ll let the lovely Leslie Knopes explain it to you.
“Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
Even if you’re not a Parks and Recreation fan, I think we can all agree on the crux of this day :: ladies celebrating ladies. A day for women to recognize the special ladies in their lives. A day for women to take some time for themselves, sans spouses, kids, or work responsibilities. A day for women everywhere to appreciate and honor the power of female friendships in their lives.
I’ve always been an introvert. As a kid I was quiet and shy, and I always took a long time to warm up to people. As a result, I didn’t have many friends; I had a couple of close girlfriends, and that was enough for me. But when I left for college, my friends headed to different cities or states, while I stayed here to attend the University of Houston. To be honest, it was a big adjustment. For the first time, I felt the absence of friends from my life. I was lonely, and I felt paralyzed by my anxiety to venture out to meet new people.
Then one of the girls on my dorm floor invited me to a sorority meet and greet. I had no idea what a sorority was, other than the stereotypical depictions on TV or in books. But I was excited to meet new people, and so I went. The girls were kind and welcoming. I still felt that overwhelming shyness at meeting new people and thinking of what to say, but they never made me feel like I needed to be anything other than myself. And so I joined, and, not to sound overly dramatic here, changed the course of my life.
You see, up until this point, I didn’t really understand why having a community of strong, confident, and supportive women in my life was so essential. I do now, and I could not be more grateful.
In these women, I found a space to celebrate my joys :: meeting my husband, finding my first job, getting married, buying a house, having a child. I found a space to mourn my sorrows and share my grief :: a difficult break up, family deaths, anxiety over the future. I found a space to laugh, to cry, to hope, to dream.
In this group, I found women with whom I can dance on the beach at 3am while eating Taco Cabana and drinking Shiners. I found women with whom to go ghost hunting on the city streets of Portland and women with whom to go backpacking through Europe. I found women to bring my family soup and fajitas when my son was born and women to bring me muffins and tea when I suffered a pregnancy loss. I found women with whom I can fangirl over the latest book we’re reading and women with whom I can share my prayers. I found women who will challenge and inspire me to go after my dreams.
I found that special blend of empowerment, critique, and love that only women can provide.
I found sisters.
That’s the power of female friendships. The adventurous, the ordinary. The give, the take. The big, the small. The encouragement, the solace. The highs, the lows. The laughter, the tears.
How Do You Celebrate with Your Girlfriends?
Do you and your lady friends already set aside time to celebrate one another throughout the year? Perhaps you’re in a season of life that has caused you to place your girlfriends to the side for a time. Or perhaps you’ve been wanting to venture out to make new friends, but haven’t found the courage or the time.
Girl, take that step. Call that friend you haven’t seen in a while. Send a text. Go up to that mom on the playground. Say hi to that mom at story time or afternoon pickup. Grab a coffee. Suggest a workout class together. Plan a wine night. Go for a walk.
I know you’re a busy mama. I know you often feel overwhelmed with the day to day. I know that trying to fit in a girls’ night feels like just one more thing on the to do list. But I can promise that making the time to celebrate your girlfriends, whether on Galentine’s Day or an ordinary Friday night, is so, so worth it. You know that saying about filling your own cup so that you have something to pour back out to your spouse, your kids, your responsibilities?
That’s something else I found in these women :: someone to help fill my cup {or wine glass} when it’s running low. Someone to remind me that I’m not just a wife and a mama. I’m a woman, a sister, a friend. I have goals and dreams. I have good days and bad days. I’m not perfect, but after an evening of sipping wine and snacking on popcorn with my friends, my life feels pretty darn close to it.
Happy Galentine’s Day!
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