Carla's Open Love Letter to the Real Chicks

Dear Real Chicks:

I love you. In fact, I might be obsessed with you. No, that’s not exactly right. It is more like I am addicted to you. I can’t go a week without seeing you. I find myself constantly planning and scheming ways to spend time with you. I’m completely stumped as to how I functioned before I met you. But why? Who are you people? How did you become so important to me so fast? Why are you so important to me? Here are a few reasons:

1). You take me on adventures. Sometimes these adventures are just down the street and other times they are a bit farther. Sometimes they are just to Starbucks or the gym. But I know you are always game and you make every trip fun.



2). You make me laugh. Hard. Until my stomach hurts and my sangria shoots out my nose. You have the best senses of humor, all the good kinds: sarcastic, raunchy, goofy, slapstick, deadpan, subversive, juvenile, etc. If laughter is the best medicine, I insist upon seeing you daily and laughing with you as my daily vitamin.

3). You teach me new things and remind me of things I tend to forget. You teach me how to roll a kayak, snowshoe, cross country ski, and climb mountains. You remind me to laugh at myself, fight inertia, dream big, be my true self, share, push the limits. Most importantly, you remind me to TRY and you teach me to be fearless doing it.

4). You never judge. Let’s face it: our gender has issues with judging. We can be so harsh to each other and ourselves but I have never once experienced judgmental attitudes with the Chicks. The Real Chicks tell me I look FAST in my new ski pants, not FAT. We share our most horrific embarrassing moments with each other and love each other more with each story. I can tell you my secret hopes (Kilimanjaro for my 40th birthday?) and you make me realize that I can do them. And then you come along for the adventure. I love you for that.

5). You support me. When I’m feeling weak and defeated, you encourage me. When I fall down, you fall down with me (literally and figuratively) and we get up together. You replace that rotten little voice in my head that says I can’t and you tell me I can. You've become my biggest fans, my dearest friends, and my strongest allies. You're my most challenging teachers and my most endearing students. You're my ultimate teammates and my toughest competitors. You are my people and I’m so happy I found you.

Thank you, Chicks. Thank you for everything. I truly love you (even the ones I haven’t met yet).
Carla