Many many years ago, I was running an online fitness course, and a woman named Brooke joined the program.
She was a single mom living in Florida and had two very young twin boys.
She was pretty gung ho for about two weeks, and then life became extra lifey, and she kinda fell off the radar.
Temporarily.
She resurfaced maybe a year later.
She sent me an email and was like “your stuff needs to be branded – let me do it for you” and I was like…. OKAY.
And then I don’t really even know how it happened, but we became friends.
We started talking kind of regularly.
Then we became kind of accountability buddies.
She also became my idea-bouncer-off-er.
When I would veer WAY off track, she’d redirect me.
For several years Brooke and I talked and talked and talked.
But we had never met in person.
She had become my closest friend and I’d never seen her IRL, as the kids say.
Then the stars aligned, and in 2019 Kristofer and Ingrid qualfied for a swim meet in St. Petersburg, Florida.
We turned that swim meet into a 2 week long road trip, and on the way home, we stopped a Brooke’s house for the night.
It was only a 24 hour stay, and even though we’d never actually met, it was like we had been friends our entire lives.
The kids and I had such a great time Brooke and her kids.
You wouldn’t know it by looking at these pictures, but it was Marit who had the absolute BEST time when we were there. 😂
Maybe she was just pissed that we were leaving (we took these pics right before we left her house).
Anyway, this was the one and only time I hung out with Brooke in the flesh.
After that trip Brooke and I continued our weekly calls.
She was pretty much my main therapist when I went through my divorce.
Our weekly calls have been sporadic in the last year.
We’ve both been really busy and we haven’t been able to consistently keep up with our Friday morning calls.
But it doesn’t matter.
I know we’ll get back on track.
When we do, it will be like we never skipped a beat.
Brooke is probably the best friend I’ve ever had.
I’m a hard person to be friends with.
I’m super inconsistent.
I don’t return texts.
I hardly ever answer the phone because I don’t really love talking on the phone.
But I do love talking to Brooke. When I can get my shit together.
Because Brooke gets me.
She doesn’t take my failure to reply to texts personally.
She appreciates me for who I am, faults and all.
She has been there for me, unconditionally.
It’s Brooke’s birthday today.
I ALMOST MISSED IT.
Thank God I didn’t.
But if I had totally missed it she wouldn’t have held it against me. She would have understood.
I don’t know how I lucked out crossing paths with her, but BOY did the Universe hook me up when it placed Brooke in my life.
Brooke, you are the best of the best.
One of the coolest humans I know.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.
One day I hope to be as good of a friend to you as you have been – and are – to me.
I love ya Brooke.
Happy Happy Happy Birthday.
Leave a Reply