genuine – SUNKISSED SOUL

A Tribute to Friendship, Sex, & Milkshakes

August 10, 2020 Sunkissedsoul

Thankful tears flowed from my eyes this morning as I thanked a friend for being the blessing he is in my life.

He is my imperfect friend who has no pressure to live up to anything but being him, because his perfectly imperfect genuine self is a rarity.

Take a big, beautiful heart and add in compassion; understanding; trustworthy; humor; integrity; wisdom;hysterical; God loving; creative man who is well dressed and super fun ..there is my dear friend. See? Rare.

He accepts me as is. He loves me as is. He might sometimes be disappointed for my choices and how they will affect me; at the same time, he is not disappointed in me. Big difference.

He encourages me to be the best version of me I can be while never loving me any less as I travel my journey and sometimes behave like a dumbass. (true story) We speak truth to one another; even when truth is ugly feeling. The thing is…when truth is spoken in love and safety is present…it’s a sacred treasure. He challenges me when it’s uncomfortable and would be much easier to not.

He knows my everything. My everything is safe with him. He has never played judge and jury to me. That is magical. We’ve all been in a place that we believed we were truly safe with someone…until a dreaded, unexpected moment illuminates a reality that safety has been an illusion. There was not acceptance and love of who you are; perhaps there was acceptance and love for who they want you to be. That is not magical, it sucks.

Laughter, tears, and everything in between are welcome. He is proud of my accomplishments, generous with his encouragements, okay with my sunshine as well as my melancholy and super fun to go to the grocery store with. He loves sex (not with me), milkshakes, animals, learning and laughter. The countless endless conversations we have will never have sufficient words to let him know that he is cooler and more than he will ever grasp.

I hope and pray I provide the same for him. There are perhaps 10 people in my world outside of my family that I have this type of friendship with. I intend to ensure they always know how deeply I love them.

As I expressed my gratitude to my precious friend this morning, my heart was pinged. Is this not how our God designed us to be in relation with one another? We are made in His image, right? I know God loves me. He made me. He knows my heart, he knows the numbers of hairs on my head for goodness sake. He knows my journey. God weeps with me, rejoices with me, and loves me in the messy middle (which is where my humanness seems to have me living the majority of the time).

Beloved human connections (could, should, can) mirror our relationship with God. We are God’s heart, walking outside of His body but still in Him. Our loves are the same…pieces of our heart walking outside of our body but always in us.

True Friendship…it’s a beautiful form of intimacy. In our individuality, we are still all reflections of each other. In our separateness, we are still made to be unified. How cool is my God? Not only does he offer me unconditional love and friendship through Him…he gives me that in real live humans.

The reciprocity of real friendship is the ultimate legacy to leave with another. This type of friendship has impacted my life profoundly for the better.

I am grateful to have even one friend of this caliber in my life; sex and milkshakes too.

Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”

Funk town

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 Sunkissedsoul

I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for a dear friend to get his pet scan test results today. Cancer was suspected. He is brave and accepting and when he called, I held my breath and waited for the news. ALL CLEAR. I am so grateful.

Spoke with another angel in my life who has struggled with a heroin addiction for years. I was sharing with him how different it was to learn the clinical side of heroin addiction versus seeing him struggle and suffer with it. Right now, he is doing well. Right now is all we have. Again, so grateful.

I received a schedule of the remaining classes I am to finish before I graduate in December. Six classes, my internship hours and a HUGE project, and grad school will be done. I get overwhelmed (aka freaked out) with the seemingly impossible task of finishing all of this in a timely manner, yet I am ecstatic about the possibilities.

I have been in a serious funk this week. It has taken the feedback of two dear friends, a sibling and my Momma to get me to see this. I’ve been entirely consumed by something that has hurt my feelings, and I’ve failed to remember all about how wonderful this life can be.

I’m sad that someone I care about might think poorly of me, and I’ve been stuck on spin cycle trying to figure out how to ‘fix’ it. In other words…how to best control the outcome.

That’s funny, right? Control…doesn’t look very much like letting go. Completely opposite of surrender or trusting the process. Certainly not believing that I am right where I need to be and absolutely not absorbing joy because anxiety is winning out. So.not.cool.

I posted some quote the other day…I can’t remember the exact words but I know it points to letting go of shit. (but much more eloquent). It’s possible to let go of the past while still clinging to the negative cognitions or emotions of it. Thus, it has to be possible to LET IT ALL GO too. I’m just not quite sure how.

I’m a little all over the place, please just stick with me because I’m confident that this all fits together some way. (maybe?)

I’m a fairly confident person in my work, at home, socially, with family and friends, etc. But, in relationships with men, I turn into an insecure teenager. (not dissing teens, I just missed out on dating in those years so I’m fully experiencing the turmoil of it now, lol!) I despise these feelings of doubt, worry, angst, less than, broken and not good enough. I figure maybe someone else struggles with similar things, and if not…just enjoy a good giggle.

I have this ever growing list of thoughts and conundrums that would really be beneficial for anyone I date to know. I am considering typing them up and handing them out on an index card on our first date. Too weird?

Additionally, and important…this list is NOT directed at any person. It’s just a gathering of my own collective experiences and I am certain that any man could quickly come up with a double the size list for me.

I have gotten immense value out of all of these experiences and although I’m frustrated in this moment, my frustration has far more to do with my own doings than anything else.

1) If I have taken time out of my life to spend time with you in any capacity, this is a good indicator that I take interest in you and getting to know you. Unless it is urgent, it would mean the world to me if you would refrain from texting, phone calls, or other technological conversations while we are together. For the love of all things good, please take special consideration of this tip when it involves others you might be dating. Despite the status of our connection, it’s just respectful. I like to feel treasured and present in the moment together. Doesn’t everyone like that better? This has happened to me too many times to count and I can’t decide if it’s just today’s dating norm or if I am an attention hog.

2) If we have been at the point of conversations previously that you have called me ‘beautiful’, ‘cute’, ‘incredibly smart’, ‘sexy’, ‘pretty’ or the like, please continue this during our time together. Otherwise, I believe that you said what you needed to say to get me where you wanted me and that feels really yucky. Again, I have chosen to spend this time with you because I take interest in you. I do not need affirmation every five seconds, but it does feel nice to be noticed.

I have my insecurities. Just like my daddy said, “there will always be someone prettier, richer, smarter, etc but you aren’t better than anyone and no one is better than you.” That is so freaking tough for this heart of mine to absorb.

3) I can’t speak for everyone, just for me. Feel free to hold doors open for me, walk me to my car, kiss me hello/goodbye and make sure I get home okay. It’s just a thing. When you do these things, I feel valued, safe, and cared for and I will return this tenfold.

4) I think sex is fabulous. I believe kisses are the best thing ever invented. Being held is incredibly delicious. That said, I also cherish hand holding, deep conversations, sharing views respectfully (even in opposition), laughing, being goofballs and doing things. You know? Human vs. object….huge difference. Treat me like a lady, please. It lets me know I matter to you.

5) I am pretty darn cool, but am not anywhere near perfect. I am intensely, constantly aware of this. Chances are, you aren’t perfect either. How awesome if we could build one another up and draw out the good rather than point out one another’s flaws.

I am consistently working on personal, spiritual, physical and emotional growth. However, I haven’t ‘arrived’ and doubt I ever will. It’s all a journey. If you are at the place that you have achieved perfection, we likely will not be a good match. Perfection is exhausting…I know…I’ve tried. I just want to be loved for who I am, don’t you?

6) Be honest and be gentle. It’s quite possible for the two to co-exist. You are deeply interested in someone else, but you want to spend time with me? Please give me the dignity of being upfront ahead of time and allow me to make a fully informed decision. I might value you alot more than you know, trust is already hard for me and really don’t want to walk in blind. Likewise, I will be honest with you from the get go. I have made the error of not doing so in the past and it’s completely icky.

7) We are both grown ups by this time in life. We both bring baggage. We also still have a lot of fabulous goodness in us as individuals and maybe as a couple. Recently noted…focus too much on the baggage and old relationships and you will certainly end up in a stuck zone. No fun.

I’m learning…so many different types of connections. Just please be real. Be genuine. Be truthful. Be forgiving. Be present. I’ll do the same, we are all learning.

I guess I’m holding onto some things.

Let go.

It’s just stuff.

I’m sure it still all fits together somehow, but hell if I know the how of the some.

Whatever.

The Sweetest Family I Know

September 17, 2018September 17, 2018 Sunkissedsoul

My Momma, kids and I arrived home about an hour ago from a delightful little overnight getaway to Branson. (Side note…I LOVE Missouri~.) We were there for the specific purpose of celebrating one of my nephews who is doing incredibly hard work in his life. He was able to be away from his temporary home for a few days, it was a lovely reason for us to get together. Only about 1/2 of our big family was there, I look forward to the day we can all revisit at once. That seems to be a rarity with the busy-ness of every day life and I am thankful for every bit of time we have to join each other.

This morning was perfect for sitting on the porch, sipping coffee and soaking in the gratitude. The family we are is the real Brady Bunch..a living conglomerate of love. We know how to throw a good, old fashioned, fun party! There will be hugs and squeals, yummy food, laughter, tears, often music with dancing and always memory making. We know how to connect with each other and within generations.

It might be conversations over coffee in red rocking chairs and barstools on a glassed in porch with a beautiful view. There will be cooking together in the big, open kitchen and yelling at football players on tv for some. Several are likely gathered around a table eating a meal or playing Farkle, Dominoes or even Candy Land. The Air Hockey Table, pool table, Pac Man arcade game or Pinball machine make for excellent, friendly competition. Snuggling up anywhere and swapping secrets and hanging out in a hot tub until skin is itchy and cheeks are flushed….all excellent opportunities to bond. Wherever and however the connection happened this weekend, gratitude for this enveloping love overwhelmed me.

Chatter about sports, how healthy and fat the robins in Branson are, comfy pillows and beds, how awesome the hot tub is, where we will hike (and if we really want to hike), that the smell of our girls strawberry smelling hair is wonderful and even the teen boys sweat is somehow sweet to us, how much we’d love to come here again…all of this and more was discussed. We share beloved memories, our sorrows, our joys, our struggles and worries. We rejoice in our love for one another, cousin camaraderie, sweet remembrances, a glorious God who loves us, kindredness, peace, redemption and stages of life. We share wisdom and adventures in school, love, dating, and life experiences. We are simple, we are complex. We are real and back to the basics awesome. There is a sense of celebration, abundant love, vulnerability, and safety that coexists in our chaos. We are a unique gift never to be taken for granted.

A year or two ago, these occasions made me incredibly sad. I no longer had a husband who had a shared history with me and this family. Our Daddy was no longer physically present. I grieved, and grieved, and grieved some more. Something inside of me has healed though, and where there was only grief, there are now cherished memories. The shared story of my beautiful family (the one we are still writing) continues to heal my heart.

I thought about the words that describe our family (those who were there this weekend and those who weren’t)….ALL OF US….I was only going to write a few but my list kept growing. In our family, there is…

grace, joy, fun, redemption, respect, camaraderie, conversations, soulful connection, God, familiarity, safety, understanding, empathy, true connection, sacredness, board game playing, friendly competitiveness, creativity, sweetness, yummy food, celebration, music, dancing, laughter, tears, reflection, honesty, hope, truth, togetherness, reverence, delight, appreciation, gratitude, openness, trustworthiness, acceptance, tradition of love, late night delirium and early morning adventures, love, seeking, reaching, growing, stories, memories, teasing, playfulness, organized spontaneity, real emotion, gentleness, judgement free, wisdom, energy, learning, fondness and HOME.

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME. So thankful.