Getting exactly what you want

It is so rare to get exactly what you want, as an adult.

My 40th birthday party was exactly what I wanted. I got to dress up, dance, and be in the same room as almost all my favourite people… What an absolute gift!

And then, on top of that, I got the best surprise ever. I have 3 older brothers (who were all there – yay!) and one de facto sister – my middle brother’s best friend, Kirsty.

She came into our lives when I was 11 and she really listened to me… Really saw and heard me. She taught me that asking lots of questions to fully understand someone is a language of love (I’ve adopted this interrogatory style of love ever since!)

When my mom was dying and we all headed home for that awful week, I asked Kirsty to come. She did – without a moment’s hesitation. She made sure there were always snacks, gave us the best hugs, made us laugh when we could hardly lift our heads. I have a distinct memory of her unpacking the dishwasher while telling us some terrible story from a night out in the past, and making all four of us laugh… Is there anything greater than a friend who will make you laugh while unpacking your dishwasher in the worst days of your life? No, no there isn’t.

Kirsty lives in the UK now, and I invited her to my 40th dance party (of course) – we have a lot of shared dance floor memories… She comes back to SA often for her family, so it seemed like a possibility, but then the dates didn’t line up. I hoped hoped hoped she’d surprise arrive, but on the day of my party she sent me (beautiful) flowers, and my hope balloon deflated.

And then, while I was dancing, she arrived. Oh my goodness the pure joy. What a gift to have a friendsister like this. What a gift to have her here to share my milestone birthday. What a gift. 🎁

#slicesofjoy