You Gotta Have Friends

Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if every morning could begin with coffee and friends.
This morning, at 7:15, well, I actually got there at 7:20, I met my friend Sheila for coffee at Caribou. Today is Sheila's birthday. Happy Birthday, Sheila. (See her blog Life's Many Colors on My Blog List to the right.)
We spent almost two hours talking, mostly, okay, all about kids and the hurdles they face, debating the best ways to help them succeed without interfering too much.
It feels like a cleansing shower to share my worries, to hear Sheila's opinions on what I should do or should have done.
And even though the talk focused on all those kids -- three each -- the worries were our own. So I could feel my concerns about Grace de-escalating.
Sheila, facing her first birthday without one of her kids around, checked her phone every time it lit up to see if Beth was calling or texting. She's in New York alone for a modeling trip. Both of our daughters are in far away New York and we aren't there to be the safety net if they need us. That's scary.
I'm a little nostalgic for the days when we had to talk about whether her son Daniel was too rough when he wrestled with Tucker or whether Tucker was manipulating Daniel to get him in trouble. Those were difficulties we could tackle with a little extra oversight.
Now we talk about careers and college majors, drinking and sex, smoking pot and sporting competitions. (Some things never change in my family and the sports have remained a constant.)
I left the coffee shop a little jittery from the caffeine of the espresso, but feeling much more optimistic about my day.
What are you doing tomorrow morning, Sheila, or any of my other local friends?
Coffee with friends is a great way to start the day.