The Single Woman’s Dash of Sass: Footprints On Your Heart

Quotes of the Day:

“No friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.” ~Francois Mocuriac

“The friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect. The ones who stuck by you shoulder to shoulder, in a time where nothing was certain, all life lay ahead, and every road led home.” ~The Wonder Years

“One is taught by experience to put a premium on those few people who can appreciate you for what you are.” ~Gail Godwin

The Single Woman Says:

I received the email yesterday that I knew was coming but was still dreading. One of my best friends, Jeremy, has been planning to leave Nashville and move back out west for some time, and though I knew it could happen at any time, I still wasn’t prepared for the news that “any time” is next month.

All I could think about as I read his email was the first time I ever met him. He was standing outside my cubicle at CMT, wearing a blue “Kentucky” sweatshirt that I would soon come to know as his “uniform.” He had glasses and looked like an adorable, overgrown kid, there was something so innocent and naïve and youthful about him – a quality he hasn’t lost in the eight years that I’ve known him. Bush was fighting Kerry for the White House…9/11 was still a fresh memory…I was 25 years old and completely clueless about the world…and we were both in a new city, him having just moved to Nashville from LA, and me having just moved to Nashville from my small hometown about 30 minutes away. I never imagined that almost a decade later, he would still be in my life…let alone, preparing to leave my life.

Over the past eight years, we have stood by each other through tremendous successes…and tremendous heartache. Loss of jobs, loss of family members, loss of lovers we didn’t think we could live without…and through it all, regardless of how far we would often drift or how angry we might get with one another, we would always find our way back. I think the reason his move is hitting me so hard is because in some strange way, we grew up together. We faced those uncertain years in our mid-20’s to early-30’s together and watched as each of us became the people we were going to be. That’s a very special thing. We have laughed, cried, danced, rejoiced, mourned, celebrated, rebuilt, supported each other’s dreams, worked together at two separate places of business, and even almost starred in a reality show together! He knows things about me that no one else on this earth does…and he knows that I can often be a handful of high-maintenance, high-strung hijinks…and he loves me anyway.

In a way, when I say goodbye to Jeremy next month and watch him ride off into the western sunset, I will also be saying goodbye to a part of myself; the wide-eyed, idealistic girl of barely 25 who had never had a broken heart and had absolutely no clue what the real world was about. For he knows the Mandy that my friends of today don’t, and never will. And isn’t that the most beautiful thing about old friends? They truly appreciate who you are today because they know what it took to get you here. And though the paths you travel on may someday diverge, no matter how far away from each other your lives may take you, you will always share the memories of a season where you refined each other, and Life defined you both.