friendship

I am an introvert.  I know this about myself.  I would rather sit on the couch with a book than go out to a party.  I am shy in new places, with new people.  I find small talk exhausting.

I have been thinking a lot about friendship since moving.  I do much better face-to-face, and one-on-one...which makes it very hard since moving away from my dearest friends. Talking on the phone is not ideal.  I want to see the person, connect with them, touch them.  Distance is hard.

I was struck this week when my friend had her baby with how deeply this moved me.  I was caught off guard at how emotional it was.  I couldn't be there physically, but all of my energy was with her.  The power of becoming a family.  The power of labor and birth.  The power of motherhood.  It was almost a visceral reaction that I wasn't prepared to experience.  Is it because I am a midwife?  A woman?  Or, is it the invisible threads of friendship that know no distance?  My heart is full.    

Below some pictures from the week.  We took the kids to Tanglewood Nature Center.  We all had a blast looking at all the animals...and even got a private tour of the birds of prey that had been moved inside due to cold weather.