a dryer sheet, kharma, and why i love my friends

so yesterday was a real treat…i got to have lunch with three of dearest friends.  i guess you could call them ‘work’ friends because i know them from work.  {thank you captain obvious} but you know, i don’t really like to say that because regardless of how i met them, they are a very special part of my life.  not just work. 

well so anyway, the four of us are talking over a bowl of bob marley dip and chips, and my friend laura says, ‘oh i meant to tell you…i had a kelly moment the other day.’  and of course they start laughing because as they well know and have experienced, i have a special talent of finding myself in awkward, ridiculous, unbelievable, and/or just plain stupid situations.  seriously…i could create an entire blog category called ‘crazy shit that only happens to me.’

i guess i should back up a little….

it was probably about 12 years ago.  on a friday.  which really isn’t all that important except for the fact that because it was friday i was wearing jeans.  GAP jeans.  which i remember because i had like two pairs.  which really doesn’t matter at all, but i just remember and sometimes it’s nice to know i can remember something when usually i can’t remember anything.

anyway, it was friday morning and i was walking from the parking lot up to my building.  it was a beautiful sunny morning, but i was in  shitty mood.  probably tired, worn-out, strung-out, stressed-out.  whatever.  so i’m walking up the sidewalk and about 10 feet in front of me was a gal – let’s call her miss fancypants – she was bebopping up the sidewalk in her supercute little spring dress.  sassy little sandals.  really strutting her stuff.  and so i’m behind her in my mom jeans, feeling frumpy and fat, and i happened to notice that miss fancypants’ slip is showing.

sidenote…does anyone even wear a slip anymore?

well so miss fancypants and i wound up at the crosswalk at the same time, and i stood there debating – should i tell her that or slip is showing?  because i usually appreciate it when people tell me that if something is hanging out or i have food in my teeth, etc.  but that day…i don’t know…i was just cranky or bitchy or whatever…and i didn’t tell her. which was a big mistake.

ok…so fast forward a few hours and my friends laura and teala and i had made plans to run to utica square at lunch to check out the sale racks at dillards.   now for those of you not familiar with with it, utica square is an upscale, outdoor shopping center and dillards is an upscale department store.  mostly here in the south i think.  and it’s pretty close to downtown which is important when you only have an hour (ish) for lunch. 

so the three of us are walking up the sidewalk to the front door – laura and teala are a couple of steps in front of me – and about that time a little gal walks up to me.  we’ll call her miss priss.  and miss priss was all of about 20 years old.  petite, blond, pretty, decked out in her perfect little outfit with her perfect makeup and her perfect hair.  anyway, miss priss comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder and says to me in the sweetest, softness, southern drawal –

‘ma’am…{but you gotta say it like this – may yum}…now i do not mean to embarrass you…but you have a dryer sheet hangin’ outta your pant leg.’

friends…let me just tell ya….kharma’s a bitch and i know this from personal experience. 

and needless to say, i. wanted. to. die.

but i look over at laura and teala…they are about to pee their pants they’re laughing so hard.

just so you know…as i sit here typing i’m smiling so hard.  it was the funniest thing and one of my all time favorite memories with laura and teala.  even if it is embarrassing.  and that’s the thing about close friends…that ability to laugh with each other.  maybe even at each other from time to time.  i love that so much.  i love them so much.

i was thinking about this as laura, teala, tonya, and i were sitting together over lunch. 

i recently celebrated my 15th anniversary at work i can tell you without question that a huge part of why i have stayed there is because of my friendships at work.  because the thing is, these friends not only see you at your best, but they also see you when you’re having a bad hair day.  or if you’ve had a fight with your spouse.  or when your kid is sick and you’ve been up all night and are draggin’ ass in to work.  these friends celebrate the accomplishments of your kids, but also share the pain of losing loved ones.  they pray with you and for you.  they lift you up when you’re down or will even get down there with you and help you forget your troubles in plate of cheese fries and a big diet coke. 

i love these girls so much.  they are such a blessing to me and i do so cherish their friendship. 

looking forward to many more years of memories.  love, kelly