A few weeks back, I went out for coffee and nose rings with a friend. As we waited for our switch-outs, we contemplated gelato but stuck with coffee and my friend said something that I’ve thought about every single day since. She said, “I eat well and I exercise. I could obsess about getting down to a certain number on the scale, but I think I would rather know that I’m healthy, and maybe this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
(Don’t be scared. This is NOT going to be another one of my freakout Fluid Pudding things where I go all batty about my pants not fitting. I promise! Just stick with me, because things are going to get really crazy in a few minutes and I want you to be there.)
Anyway, yes! I am less than a month away from turning 43 (Natalie Wood and John Candy died at 43, by the way. That’s weird.), and I’m tired of counting Weight Watcher points and giving space in my closet to snotty little dresses that no longer fit. And this is what I’m going to do about it.
I’m going to drink green smoothies because I love them and how can you NOT love drinking spinach and pears and apples and bananas and lemons in the morning?
Do you want to know what ELSE I’m going to do?
I am going to take time out to eat waffles from the side of a truck. Because life is short! TRUCK WAFFLES! (I recommend the pumpkin, but please know that I’m also planning on trying the apple cinnamon and the banana.)
On Saturday morning, my mom and the girls and I embarked on Meredith’s Purplification Adventure at Bouffant Daddy. (In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, Meredith has wanted purple hair FOREVER, but I didn’t want her to bleach streaks into her hair. HOWEVER, I’m totally fine with bleaching her tips and she’s turning ten in a few weeks, and what a great way to celebrate a decade!)
As Meredith sat in the processing chair, Mom, Harper, and I walked down the road to Foundation Grounds to grab a snack.
Okay. Do you remember earlier when I said that something crazy is going to happen? Yes. It Is Time.
My mom ordered a mocha and a biscotti and Harper ordered hot chocolate and I ordered a soy chai with a molasses cookie.
We sat down.
A woman walked over to our table and stood there and I looked at her and she looked at me and she said my name and I looked at her and I YELLED her name because it was my very best friend from college whom I haven’t seen since my wedding night which was nearly twelve years ago! I won’t even begin to tell you our stories but please know that we were inseparable and she is one of the main reasons that I stayed (mostly) SANE in college.
I hate that life sometimes gets crazy and people get caught up in different things and then days turn into weeks and months turn into twelve years.
We stood there in the coffee place and we talked as if no time had passed. And I had the biggest goofy smile on my face and it got even bigger when she mentioned that the molasses cookies are her favorites and that the day started out great when she scored a pair of vegan Danskos.
And then we discovered this:
We all left Foundation Grounds together and walked over to the salon where I was able to introduce her to Meredith and once again, I am so lucky.
The first time Jeff met my grandma (less than a month before she passed away), he said something to her about how fortunate he has been to be able to weave incredible people into the tapestry of his life. (It sounds corny out of context. At the time, it wasn’t corny at all. At the time, I wanted to kiss the hell out of him for calling my grandma “Grandma.”) Anyway, yes. On Saturday afternoon, I was able to tuck an amazing thread back into my tapestry.
And we walked away with purple tips and huge smiles.
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Awwwww! Fantastic! On so many levels.
Meredith looks wonderful. I had purple hair last July but it’s all gone now.
I’m a bit worried about you and your friend starting to compost. 43 is too young to decompose.
Boom boom.
That is THE most excellent story, Angela. What a grand reunion. Has she been living in your area the whole time since college but you just haven’t run into each other before? Just moved there/back from someplace else?? Inquiring minds, we want to hear more about this!
Love it!!!
What a great weekend. Purple tips, reconnecting with old friends, and molasses cookies. Perfect.
Thanks for the shout-out – I didn’t realize I was that profound! Maybe we can wax poetic again about healthy eating and green smoothies (mine this morning is more brownish…) when we switch these opals out.
That beats the heck out of reconnecting with someone on Facebook, I’ll tell you what.
LOVE the purple tips! My H would have loved to do something like that at that age but non-hair-colored hair is against the school dress codes around here. Harumph.
Meredith is totally rocking that hair.
You should NEVER count points again.
What MAKES us dissatisfied with our wonderful bodies?
Love her hair!
So wonderful to meet up with your friend of days gone by…and find so many things in common still!
Yes every sentence ends with a happy exclaimation mark!
That is wonderful! I don’t think what Jeff said sounds corny at all! One of my best friends from high school is coming up to Chicago this weekend to see me. I haven’t seen her in 13 years, since her wedding day.
Your post just added to my excitement about it all!
And I love the hair, too!
Hooray for green smoothies! The smoothies have done many awesome things for my health just since February. I want purple tips again and a pumpkin waffle too :) ps I’m a vegetarian mostly vegan nose-ring wearing funky eyeglasses wearing Canadian but my dogs name is Reuben.
I love everything about this post. And now I want purple tips on my (mostly grey) hair!
Hang on. That child was TINY! What the hell happened here?
Love the purple hair. And your friend story made me smile.
I love all of this!
Some form of regular exercise + eating reasonably = healthy! (Buy whatever size fits and stop counting all the time.)
p.s. Waffles are totally reasonable eating.
The purple hair rocks! Happy Birthday, Meredith! I was recently in St. Louis for a sister weekend and would have loved to have run into an old friend or two…you, too! (Thanks, Pharmgirl!) Would love your smoothie recipe…been going “mostly” veggie for awhile and working on an anti-inflammatory diet, down at least 20 lbs., but like your friend said, it’s not about the numbers but what you put into your body AND enjoying some treats along the way. A major life change has brought me here, and while I could go on and on, I’ll stop now.
MC was born to rock the purple hair.
I love this story so much. I hope Meredith’s birthday was everything she wanted and more. hair looks fabulous!
Oh, my, this was all just so good! First of all, you have no idea how much it makes me laugh to have someone say they went out for coffee and nose rings with a friend. Second, I have never seen a waffle truck but now I’m going to be obsessed with finding one and bringing it to my town. Third, I love what Weight Watchers did for me, but it seems to me that no vegetarian would have to ever count points, unless cookies and cakes and ice cream was a major part of their diet. So go about your business and eat what’s good. Fourth, how cool to run into your best old friend and find out how much you are alike. Forever friends!
And last, that purple hair is so gorgeous! My daughter had a streak of purple in her hair when she was about 12, and it was fine, but nothing to compare to the tips that Meredith has. That is so pretty everybody is going to want some just like it, but we’re not going to get it because it wouldn’t look as good as it does on Meredith.
That is an awesome story! How fun. Meredith’s hair is fantastic too. What a great way to turn 10! Happy birthday to her!
Dearest Pudding Peeps…LURVE LURVE LURVE THE PURPLE HAIR…..GO MEREDITH XXX
So wonderful to reconnect with an old friend! MC – your hair is awesome!
OMG that purple hair rocks. She looks about 25 & gorgeous!
You let your daughter dye her hair tips purple for her 10th birthday? You are ALL KINDS OF AWESOME! (I am all in favor of letting kids try all kinds of wacky stuff as long as a, it is not overtly harmful, and 2, doesn’t hurt anyone else. For example, dyeing one’s hair tips purple at age 10.)