the danish

Last week a cherry danish made me cry. Until that random Saturday morning at Panera, I had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring the fact that one of my best friends is moving 1,400 miles away- and I had simultaneously been doing a pretty good job ignoring the inevitable hole she would be leaving in my life. She heads out West one month from today. It’s been closing in on us for awhile now, so this wasn’t a huge shock, and I knew I would be sad and deal with it when it happens, but it hadn’t actually hit me yet. Until the danish.

It was her birthday so I stopped to get her a treat (cherry danish = just one of the many foods that make her sublimely happy), and as I walked out the door on my way to meet her, and looked down at the danish in my hand, I started to cry. I mean, really sob. It was like someone suddenly cut me open and let out the sadness in one big rushing tidal wave and I couldn’t stop it. It hurt from somewhere deep inside. And the first thing I did when I saw her was hug her and tell her, “I’m really going to miss you.”

That’s the thing about the people in my life- simply put, they are the ones who keep me going. From all the random daily tedium to the really big stuff and life-changing events- they are the ones who stand beside me, remember me, think of me, ask about things, make sure I am hanging in there if they know things are tough. They know me inside and out. They know my schedule on any given Tuesday. They offer support, encouragement, shoulders to cry on. They give their time. They care about the people I care about. They go to my son’s baseball games when I am out of town and can’t be there. They have keys to my house. They know that every time I go to Fifth Street Brewpub I order the chips. They agree with me that two breakfasts are better than one. They know what I’m going to say sometimes before I do. They know I will always laugh when someone says, “That’s what she said.”

These are some of the most important people in my life, and they are part of it every single day. People like that are hard to find, and I’m ever-so-lucky to have the best friends I could ever ask for. This week in particular, they have been my backboard, standing behind me and supporting me when I needed it most. And I love them dearly for everything they constantly give so generously; I sincerely hope I have returned those acts in kind. Which is why a cherry danish made me cry.

I would probably never again have a better reason to buy a cherry danish. And much more than that, I realized what it is to know someone that well, and what a gift that is. This is someone who has been in my life for 11 years, and knows me as well as anyone. And there’s no way around it – that is something that is painful to lose.

So, Melissa, thank you for more memories than I can count and for being exactly who you are. Know that you will leave in Ohio some people whose lives have been forever brightened by your presence.


Thinker, free spirit, mom. Lover of living life outside, breakfast tacos, and wood smoke.

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