Almost every Friday in 8th grade, Anna and I would walk to Kevin’s house after to school to celebrate something we called “Wine Friday.” Of course being 13 and knowing nothing about alcohol, we settled on drinking cranberry juice and helping ourselves to a classic block of Tillamook cheddar cheese and Triscuits. We would sit in the kitchen and just gossip about whatever 8th grade girls gossip about. “Did you see her new top? She got it at forever 21!” “Do you think he has a crush on me?” And so on. The stress that a middle schooler feels seems immense and overwhelming in the moment, but oh how nostalgic am I to feel the anxiety of picking out an outfit to wear to the middle school dance later that night once again over beginning to write my senior thesis. Wine Fridays were just the thing we needed to relieve the frustration of what to wear or figuring out of that certain boy liked you. We were able to let go of the stress of the history test we had earlier that week or the paper we had due the following week. The best part about Wine Fridays was that even if we just sat in silence because our minds were still reeling over the past week, being in the presence of Anna was enough to calm me down. Her energy, her tone of voice, her laughter were all I really needed for the restful school-free weekend. We always talked about how when we turned 21, we would celebrate with a Wine Friday, but of course with REAL wine. and how when we were 40 or 60 or 80, we’d still find time to get back together for our tradition. I am so incredibly lucky to have found a life long friend like Anna, always there to pick me up when I’m down, brush off my shoulders and laugh it off with me.
Have a peaceful weekend,
Clarke Grayson Via Email