List 2: My Closest Friends

Although I have many friends, the list asks for my closest friends. I apologize in advance for those whose names I haven't mentioned, and without risk of offending anyone, my closest friends are the following people: Pia, Myrtle, Tracy, Maretta, Natty, and Judy.  There are many positive and wonderful things I can say about each of these women in my life; I would take up many pages to do so, believe me.   However, as to not undermine their importance in my life, I will spend time talking about each person with the utmost respect and humility I regard for them.  By the end of this blog, I hope you can come to appreciate my closest friends as much as I do.

Pia, I have known her since high school.  She was one of my bridesmaids at my wedding.  We have been through many trying and fun-filled times together.  She has always been a rock in my life, and will forever be stuck to me like glue.  Pia, has always been a loyal and faithful friend, who I admire for so many reasons, but mainly for her honesty.  No matter how daunting the truth may be, Pia will always tell you like she sees it.  An eye for shopping is one of her strong suits.  She never holds back on telling me what looks good and what doesn't.  I love her for it!  Because of her, I have learned to be a better shopper, and a more put together person all around.  Pia loves to be in control, as do I, and likes to take charge, as do I, most of the time.  Having a presence that makes a statement of, "Look at me; I'm bold and I'm confident" can only increase your chances of success.  Pia has taught me that no matter how bad a situation can be, if you not only look your best, but feel your best, than nothing else matters.  Pia is a source of strength and great presence in my life.  She inspires me to be the best that I know I can be.  No matter how tough things may get, she always tries to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Her perseverance and her strength, her loyalty and honesty, her kindness and zest for life are her most endearing qualities.  Thanks Pia for being you!

Myrtle, I have known since grade 6.  She was my maid of honor at my wedding.  Myrtle has always been the most kind and gentle person, who always seeks to find the good in people, and do what she can to help others.  She is also a  very honest and caring person; always making sure of how I am doing.  Albeit I have had some rough days in my life but Myrtle has always been there to see me through.  She has inspired me to nurture my creative side.  She has taught me to look deep within and search for meaning through what inspires me.  She has a love for travel, photography, reading, music-- all things creative and artistic.  It was through her eyes that I began to discover the true beauty that the world has to offer by opening up my own eyes.  My passion to be creative has been my driving force to express the person I am and have come to appreciate by reinforcing what life has to offer in its purist form.  For this, I will always be grateful to Myrtle.

Tracy, I have known since grade 5.  I was her maid of honor at her wedding.  She has been the reason and logic in my life.  She has always acted on logic and all that is rational.  She has an honesty and integrity about her that I have always been impressed by.  She always knows exactly what to say to make everything that seems dismal in life at the time, better, and she does it without judgement.  She always knows, to some degree, what I am thinking and what I want to do in a particular situation, even before I do sometimes.  She is my voice and reason, and she does it well.

After university Tray moved to the U.S.  She always seemed to be moving quite a bit.  I used to joke about her moving, saying that if she continued the way she did, I'd eventually visit all 50 states.  Tray and I would catch up when we could, although her living in the U.S. made it difficult at times.  She still lives in the U.S. today with her husband Kevin, and 2 beautiful daughters, Evie and Allison.  There are many days I wish we were much closer in proximity, as I often miss her matter-of-fact personality and her sense of humor.  We keep in touch via telephone and email these days.  I wish we could spend more time together.  Hopefully, one day she and her family will move back to the city.

Maretta, I have known her since university.  There are only good things to say about Maretta. She is a wonderful human being with a sense of honor and integrity that is befitting for royalty.  Maretta is a very kind, generous, intelligent, honest, loyal, funny, and quite creative individual.  She may even be considered a "jack-of-all-trades," if you wish.  Maretta, is a wonderful cook, baker, and very handy with any tool.  She and her husband Lee have single-handedly renovated their entire apartment.  She was even so kind as to make me a couple of pinatas, one for my bachelorette party, the other for my wedding.  Maretta's ability to take simple, everyday objects, and transform them into a piece of art is truly amazing to me.  Her passion to create has truly been an inspiration.  More so, her versatility to do many great things comes purely from her heart, and this is what makes Maretta a remarkable person.  To me, Maretta is a true human being, someone who can make any task enjoyable and seem effortless.

Natty, I have also known since university.  Natty and I have often discussed and wondered how we are friends despite having very little in common.  When I first met Natty, she wasn't much of a people person.  She preferred isolation to people.  She always loved projects, especially science projects.  Natty studied biology, law, and is now doing her PHd in astrophysics.  Natty loves the solar system, the planets, the stars, etc..  which is the furthest thing from my mind.  Sure, the stars can be quite interesting, but I work in the social service field.  My concern is the feelings and behavior of people.

Natty was an introvert and I refused to let that get in the way of our friendship.  I was determined to let Natty visit the "other side;" allow Natty to express and feel emotions, and therefore learn to love people.  Every time we got together, I would always give Natty a hug, and just for a few seconds.  Natty was determined to stay on the "dark" side, as she always would do what she could to run the other way.  I even tried to just hold her arm when in public, and even that was enough to scare her away, hiding behind our friends.  I kept at it, for 4 years at least, until our university days were done.  My persistence finally paid off.  I was proud the day that Natty and I once again came together, and as I was in the midst of hugging all my other friends hello, much to my splendid surprise, Natty came and asked me for a hug.  That was the day that Natty and I shared a bond that would not break us apart.  To this day, Natty enjoys the company of familiar people, and is a delight to be around.  Natty is a smart individual whose variety of interests characterizes her as a renaissance woman.  She has a sense of humor that is unique to her understanding of the world, mainly fueled also by logic and reason.  She often loves the opposite of what others may enjoy and finds pleasure in the simplest of things.  She truly is a unique individual with great potential to change the history of the universe as we know it!

Judy, I have known for most of my life, however, we grew the closest when I was starting university.  Judy and I are more like family, as our relatives are related; however, we are not blood relatives.  I won't even try to explain the relation as I still get confused myself as to who is related to whom through a second marriage, etc.  All I know is that this connection dates back to both our grand-parents and the generation before them.  Judy is an amazing person in her own right.  She also has had some struggles along life's journey but has managed to get through by her own volition and strength.  Like myself, Judy is the oldest of 3 children, and being firs-born, there is a tendency to take charge and be the person everyone relies on for answers when things go awry.  Judy has been not only like a sister to her now adult siblings, but also like a second  mom.  Judy is the type of person who perseveres because, like any good mom, that's what has to be done.  You deal with what life throws your way, accept it, and move on.  Judy does that quite admirably.  Judy is also someone who is motivated by logic and reason, and for some that's a lot safer and easier to do than allowing your emotions to get in the way of practicality.  Judy has always been a practical person, a realist.  She is a delight to be around.  She is quite funny, with a quirky sense of humour.  She loves to be loud, as do most Europeans, and she connects with people very easily, even if she's just met them for the first time.  She is an intelligent, kind, and caring person who loves many things that I do, especially reading and the outdoors.  Our love for nature has led us on many interesting hikes together.  We love natural foods, home-cooked foods, and of course, our mouth has never let us astray from our "sweet tooth."  Judy has so much knowledge to share with the world, and her ideas and passion of research are often interesting to listen to.  She has opened my eyes to many things in life, from religion to diet to overall general health, to the wilderness, and more importantly, to how great a mom she will be someday.  Judy is not only a teacher in the classroom, but a teacher of life's lessons, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Well, that's it for this blog.  I hope you have learned a bit about the women in my life that are my closest friends.  I know I have learned so much from each of them, and part of what makes me the person I am has been inspired by the many things that make my friends who they are.