Sole-mates (T-minus 480 Days)

My college roommate texted me the other night to tell me she was cleaning out her closet and to ask if I had any interest in her old pair of brown riding boots. She had recently gotten another pair, but was having a really hard time getting rid of them.

I begrudgingly said no; that I, too, had bought new ones.

But the more I thought about it, the harder it was for me to imagine her getting rid of them. You see, these aren’t just any boots, as I am fairly certain they have special powers …

It is only a slight exaggeration to say these boots are the reason JB and I became friends. As all big-footed girls know, when you find that special someone that also wears a size 11 shoe, you never let them go. Add the fact we were about the same height and clothing size (or at least we were nine years ago before someone became a crazy fit triathlete) and you had a friendship made in heaven.

The brown riding boots were the first (of many) things I borrowed and they opened up the floodgates for not only sharing shoes and clothing, but to a friendship that quickly became more of a sisterhood.

So in honor of Thanksgiving and in memory of the first pair of “f me boots” I ever wore, I want to say how extraordinarily grateful I am, not only for JB, but for all the amazing women in my life (who I know would let me borrow their shoes if they too had had boats for feet).

You see, I was a quasi-tomboy through high school and even college, never really understanding the importance of female friendships until my early 20s. Maybe working in a male-dominated industry made me realize I need more estrogen in my life, or maybe I just watched too much Sex and the City, but either way I know I have made up for lost girl time.

Over the last several years, I have collected a group of women from all stages of my life – from first grade through my sixth floor Team Estrogen ladies – whose beauty, grace and strength all make me a better person. These friendships have survived distance – and will again – as well as marriages, children, heartache and everything in between.

You all know who you are and, in case I haven’t told you lately, I love you. [Cue Rod Stewart.]

And so, instead of obsessing over the fact JB is getting rid of the boots, I am relishing in the fact they are getting a new home and I will wish on a star tonight that they bring the woman who inherits them the same good fortune we had.