Windtraveler: My BFF

For the From Left to Write Book Club we read The Unexpected Circumnavigation by Christihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Grab. This post was inspired by the book.

When my best friend, Brittany, first met Scott (who is now her husband) she told me everything about him, including the one thing that I knew made her really swoon: He shared her dream of sailing around the world. As they became more serious I knew it was only a matter of time before she would focus on making her lifelong dream of living at sea happen... You often hear people talk about grand plans or dreams to live a more unexpected life, but she is one of the few people who puts her mind to something and does it.

As I guessed, it would only be a matter of time before they set off to live their dreams. They left in October 2010. And they're still at it. (Check out their amazing blog, Windtraveler.)

They were married a few months before they took off and I shocked both of us by spending a good part of her wedding day weepy. Not because I was sad to see her get married, but because I knew we'd never share weekly bikram yoga classes and dinner again. It was the official countdown to departure time. It was the countdown to having her a phone call or 20 minute drive away. And being away from such an intimate friend is just kind of sad.

We've known each other since first grade and have a friendship that is impossible to describe. I can tell you exactly what she is thinking before she opens her mouth and she knows how to read me faster than I'm able to hide my emotions. In a world with many different types of friendships, ours is one that very few people will experience. There is something incredibly special in knowing that there is someone out there who knows all your secrets, can laugh at all your jokes, has seen you fall on your face, shares your joys, and loves you despite all of it. Before she left, she was the only friend I knew I would chat with every day and see at least once a week.

We can have an entire conversation on the phone with barely saying a word and just listening to each other breathe. We can make a feast out of a loaf of bread and a bottle of sauv blanc. I'm sitting here, trying very hard to put it into words, but I can't. We just know each other and rely on each other in a way most people don't understand. It's hard to explain, but so is friendship.

Right now she's back home for a month-long visit. (I should call it month-short, as a month is very quick when you consider they've been away for nine months.) The good thing is when you have a friendship like ours it feels like no time has passed, as if we've seen each other through. Yet, they've sailed 4500 nautical miles, seen and experienced incredible things, and completely changed their way of living. I've had another child, changed jobs, and witnessed my toddler become a little boy. And somehow I don't feel like we had to play catch up, we just picked up where we left off.

Two nights before they set sail we said our farewells at Belmont Harbor. After hugs, kisses, and misty eyes, Matt, William, and I strolled down the dock. I didn't want to say goodbye, but knew in that moment that we were both exactly where we should be and it felt right. Best friends don't have to be in the same place if they're connected on a different level.






For the From Left to Write Book Club we read The Unexpected Circumnavigation by Christi Grab. This post was inspired by the book, which I received a complimentary copy. To read how other bloggers were inspired by this group, visit From Left to Write.