Regrouping

It's Wednesday morning, and I'm still recovering from the weekend. To my credit, it wasn't just any weekend - it was the annual May Run crazy wild chick-a-palooza at Nellie Lake. This is the weekend we ladies look forward to all year round. The countdown starts about 6 months prior to the Victoria Day weekend. When it finally arrives, between 10 and 20 women make their way to a nearby lake. We eat pretty much continually. We bathe in the sun (or shiver in our bush jackets, depending on the weather.) We drink copious amounts of tequila. We laugh. 

We've been meeting for about 6 years now. There have been additions to the group and there have been subtractions. The location has changed. One thing that has always stayed the same, though, is the way we feel when the weekend is over. Recharged, rejuvenated, empowered. And I know right now you're all, ok, go eat some more granola and talk to the leaves, but it's totally true. Last year, in a moment of pure exhileration, we all burned our bras. Although some of us woke the next morning and realized we'd burned our ONLY bras, it didn't matter, because there were NO men to see the puppies we were smuggling under our tank tops. 

Over the years, the annual rendez-vous has been a chance to catch up and let each other know what the happs are in each other's lives. Through the rest of the year, a quick visit here, a wedding there, a few emails and texts don't really do us justice. The weekend is like an intense, all-in, concentrated regrouping - and it feels amazing. The weekend makes you want to break up with crappy boyfriends, quit dead-end jobs - basically anything that makes you feel as great as you did over the (booze infused) weekend.

This year, Franny made an observation that made me take a step back and think (it might have been the 7 shots I had prior, but I'm pretty sure it was Franny's observation.) She said "Wow. So much has happened in the past year. So much has changed. We've all grown a lot. PASS THE DUTCHIE, MON." 

It's so true. This year, my sister and Franny uprooted their domestic life in a small city and moved to Toronto. They are having the time of their lives. Two of the girls got engaged. One was pregnant. Then she wasn't anymore. I fell in love and moved in with a boy. There have been break-ups, accomplishments, career changes, and heartbreaks. People have come and gone. The sun has shone, the rain has come and snow has covered the ground. And through it all, over the years, we've always gathered to celebrate, to support, to cry, and then laugh until we can't breathe.

It's so comforting for all of us to know that no matter what happens throughout the year, we still have this weekend. Our May Run sisters stretch across the province, and no matter what time of year it is, we can feel each other's love and hear each other's giggles across the miles.

Here's to another wonderful weekend, ladies. Until next year, keep it real chitkas.