Well, this spring break was the true test. We went to Colorado with some of our college friends and stayed at a gorgeous home right on the 4 O’clock trail in Breckenridge. We planned this trip many months ago and at first I thought it was an “adult only event.” So, when it turned kid-friendly, I contemplated forgoing booze, wondering if I really wanted to experience it without drinking. As Thursday approached, I grew more thoughtful about this one question rising to the surface of my consciousness: Will this be as much fun as our usual gatherings?
You see, I knew this weekend would be about getting away and kicking back and having a good time. But this would be the first time that we would be tempted to party for 3 days straight! Sure, we have had house parties and BBQ’s. We’ve been to weddings and holiday parties. But this was different. This was college friends. A completely different mentality. Did I mention we went to WVU? I knew there would be plenty of drinking, Bloody-Mary-at-noon kind of drinking. I was excited and nervous wrapped into one. And I wondered how this would be for me, whether I would feel quiet, protective of my babies or awkward. I wondered how our friends would respond to my decision to drink less alcohol and more sparkling water. I wondered about a lot of things.
Shortly after we arrived on Friday, we began to catch up. About our kids of course. About our lives. About what we have been up to for the past year. Then it hit me. 2 of our friends were pregnant. Duh! Of course there would be others not drinking. Dumbest A-Ha moment I’ve had in a long time. And there it was, just like that. The confirmation I needed—this weekend would be just what I intended it to be. Fun without (much) alcohol.
That was that and the weekend was underway. And it was a fantastic and fantastically fun weekend. We hung out and caught up. We slept in. We played Trivial Pursuit. Made s’mores, built a fire or two. We grilled amazing food and moved around the kitchen seamlessly as if we’ve lived together for years. We soaked up sunshine while skiing/snowboarding our hearts out. And we watched countless games of March Madness basketball. We had fun.
The nights were filled with story telling and reminiscing; the good, the bad and the ugly. There was some inappropriate but very funny commentary. And my boys got to see it all. 15 years worth of friendship wrapped around a large round table, filled with gut wrenching laughing (sometimes turning to tears.) Memories made new. Camaraderie. This was fun.
And so I went to bed most nights smiling. I was smiling because my tummy hurt from laughing so hard. And I was reminded, keenly, that we can be young, young and wild and free, even when we are getting older. I was smiling because I realized, and powerfully, that a spirited existence has nothing to do with spirits. Wildness can exist without wine.
This was, and is, major for me. I am a believer in living life to its fullest, in finding fun, in staying young. And to know that these things can be done, really done, without much drinking is a welcoming mindset.
And so. I want to thank eleven wonderful people and my handsome Husband for a tremendous and telling long weekend, a weekend where I felt embraced, aware and rejuvenated. Aware of simple and complicated things: joy, choices, time, growing, friendship—weaving nicely into this layered chapter in my life.
Cheers to life, sun fun and friendship.
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