Friday, February 12, 2010

Training Buddy



I called my closest friend. Her name is Charis.

This woman has been my closest friend for most of the last 10 years. We live 8 blocks away from each other. (Though we haven't always!) I came from a larger family and so did she. We have similar faith backgrounds, but we don't agree on everything. She's married to an Eagle Scout husband (literally) and they currently have 5 children. She's the friend that has taught me how to relax! All the stuff I usually worry about having perfect in my life, I don't worry about with her. She understands if I'm late or a cake doesn't turn out or if I forget to bring something that I intended to bring. I can call her to share a laugh about something funny the girls did or said. I can call her when I just need to cry. She knows things about me that you really don't think people will ever know, things you don't want them to know. She has permission to say the things to me that I need to hear-and she does. She loves me. And, for her, I'm the friend that will stay up until after 2am organizing her kitchen cupboards when she moved into the new house or help her pick up and paint a room just to get it done! I think she enjoys my sometimes inspired perspective on life too. A rather lopsided friendship, more in my favor I think, but it seems to work for us!

"Hey, you know how several years back you said you wanted to do a triathlon someday? Do you still want to do one?" I got right to the point. Charis says I have the most intriguing starting points for conversation. In my head I was thinking how she'd just had baby number five and I better grab the chance we'd have just long enough to get this thing done before she and her wonderful hubby decided to have another!

"Yeah..." she laughed.

"Want to do one with me? I'm going to do one next summer."

"Sure, that would be fun!" She said in her lighthearted way. Um, she was much fitter than I at the time. Now I felt the need to clarify.

"No, really. I intend to train to do a triathlon next summer. I'm going to start training right now! We need to decide which one. I'm not even sure how to find one!"

And so our training partnership was born.

I'd take her kids while she went for a run. She'd take mine while I did a swim/bike brick. Her husband would manage all seven kids while we swam, biked and ran miles and miles together.

I remember having a whiny moment shortly before we did our first triathlon. I'd lost more than 50 pounds, but my body image was still so messed up! I could only see fat Jesaca. Being the awesome friend she is, she showed me this picture taken two months after my husband died. If you don't recall from one of my previous posts, I weighed 248 pounds...

Charis said, "I was looking through pictures the other day, Jesaca, and when I came to this one I thought, 'Now who is that?' I didn't even realize it was you and I've never seen the fat. You've just always been my friend. But that person in the picture, that's not who you are anymore!"

Gosh she's the greatest! I love her!

2 comments:

  1. You just brought tears to my eyes! We all need friends like that and one of mine just moved to Nantucket! I am in the process of cultivating others, though! Friendships like that don't just happen. It takes two and I am sure Charis is just as blessed by you, as you are by her! You rock Jesaca, even though my kids DREAD your fitness class. Keep up the good work! You look beautiful!

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  2. You're so right darlin'! I love having your kids in class! I do look good, don't I?! Ha! Love ya sweetie!

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