How time flies....

The other day, while wrapping Christmas presents and watching Sex and the City, Season 2 (for the umpteenth time), I realized something.  I am now officially
the same age as the SATC girls.  What the hell happened to the last 15 years?!  Speaking of 15 years, that's how long it has been since SATC first aired.  Can you believe it?  And after all this time, I still love to pop the DVD in (any season will do and I'll even watch the movies....but I have to be 3 cosmos in to even think about the second movie), drink a cosmo and practice "single girl behavior" whenever husbear is out of the house.  Ok - that didn't sound right.  You know what I mean.  Mud masks and toe painting...NOT pool boys. ;-)  I said I was watching SATC not The Graduate. 

(Those who find chatter about SATC childish and materialistic, you can just stop reading.  Haven't you ever heard of simple pleasures??  And there goes everyone with a penis who was reading up to this point....) 

But nothing can compare to watching SATC with your girlfriends, right?  And I have had so many fabulous experiences doing just that.  There are few other shows out there that I can think of that even come close to focusing on the importance of female friendships.  Sure, some of the life lessons were...um....maybe not for everyone but I think anyone who regularly watched the show could identify with all of the characters at one point or another.   And that was the point wasn't it?  It wasn't really about figuring out which SATC character you would be -- it was about realizing that we are all just little pieces of each other.  Everyone one of us is bitchy like Miranda sometimes or sweet like Charlotte...sexy like Samantha and totally neurotic and confused like Carrie. 

So, after 15 years of watching SATC, I thought I would share some of the life lessons I picked up from the show.  If you'll indulge me a bit, I might even share a few of my own memories that were made possible by those 4 crazy chicas.

1. Every woman has an Aidan, a Big and a Patrovksy:  Ladies, you know it's true! We don't have to talk about which one you should have ended up with...just in case it's NOT the one you're with (EEK!) but we've all had guys in our lives who fall into those categories.  Aidan: the overly available "perfect" guy whose heart you are destined to break.  Patrovksy: the "artsy" guy who is our complete opposite but who brings something mysterious and different to our otherwise banal lives. Big: the one who breaks you in two and who you allow to keep on breaking you.  Maybe your Big works out like Carrie's did but I doubt it.  We're not meant to end up with the Bigs of the world -- we're meant to look back on our time with the Bigs and thank bejeezus we finally got out.  It's cool if you're not with me on that and I know we all LOVED the romantic aspect of Carrie and Big getting together but honestly, I don't think that's how the show should have gone.  There are others too:  post it note break up guy, pot smoking comic book guy, and the list goes on and on...

2.  It hurts to hurt people and most of us fail miserably at "ripping off the band aid":  Like Carrie with Aidan, that shit should have been OH-VER way earlier in the season (thank goodness it wasn't cause my lordy did John Corbett get cuter as time went on).  We women really suck at delivering bad news sometimes but ladies, take a lesson from someone who...well...never took a lesson:  it is better to down a couple of cosmos and tell someone you don't love them, than to needlessly drag things on for months, years, lifetimes.  On the other hand, some women just need to grow the hell up and realize you can't have the hot and steamy forever.  Sometimes, loyalty, honesty, and sweetness are FAR more important than someone who "colors outside the lines."  C'mon....work with me here...someone has to remember that line.  Whewie....I still get the gibgibblies thinking about it.

3.  Friendship brings you back to center, always:  Though our lives take us on so many journeys, when you're with your friends, you are only defined by one thing....you.  You are not chained to the label of mother or wife, professional or student....you are just YOU.  I think we forget this as the years go by.  We get so wrapped up in careers, little league, and being everything to everyone that it is almost shocking when we are able to get together with our girlfriends and remember who WE are.  Isn't it like a revelation?  Especially if you're like me and it can sometimes be weeks or months in between visits or conversations with my friends -- it's as if you find yourself all over again....and you can just....exhale.  And laugh...OMG...do you ever laugh as much as you do with your girls? No. Never.

4.  Live your life:  You can try and fit into a mold and make yourself into a Charlotte or Carrie or you can just be who you are ....and ROCK IT!  Be true to yourself.  Wear stripes with polka dots, stay home when people are begging you to go out, go on vacation by yourself, love unconditionally (even if the love is aimed solely at yourself), have babies, run away from babies, adopt a dozen cats, or vow to never allow anything in your life that you'd ever potentially kill by forgetting to feed.  The world is your oyster and if you don't like oysters, eat steak....or a salad.  But, whatever you do, be good to yourself.  Get some exercise, try not to do anything that feels good too much because well....that shit is usually either illegal or unhealthy.  ;-)

And as promised, some of my favorite SATC-sponsored moments:

I Love Sex.....and the City, is what it actually said.  I love this girl and she knows it :)

What a group!  And good thing it was such a kick ass movie because the SATC sequel we were going to see wasn't all that great.  Still.....everything is more fun with the girls!

SATC after party in Charlotte, NC with my bestie.  Gosh...if we'd have just avoided shots right about here, we would have been FINE.

Pre-SATC 2 premier party

And a silly photo of the movie screen at the first SATC movie.  I can still remember the row of gay guys in front of us and how they clapped when the opening music came on.  What a FABULOUS experience! 

So there you go.  All out of order and probably totally unimportant to the layperson but that's the stuff that makes me smile when all I want to do is cry or feel sorry for myself.  Friendship - it's where it's at.  Just sayin....