Not So Dicey Crew

So last night I joined 11 other ladies for our annual Halloween Bunco party, complete with clever costumes, yummy food, dice, and (duh!) booze.

As I sat at the table watching the nuns giggle and the deer and the hunter scream and high-five each other, my heart warmed up.  I took it all in: The laughter, the shrieks, the curses, the squishy card table top…the smell of White Claw and Ultra.

I love this group of women.  I love the laughter and the fun.  I love the cheering and the embarrassing stories.  Some of these ladies I have known since birth and some of them I brain-fart on their kids’ names.  But I love them all.

I’m not sure of their favorite bands, how/if they vote, or what they order at Jimmy Johns.  But I know that being around them for the few hours once a month…(or six months depending on how well we all have our shi*t together) makes me so happy.

How important are these zones of comfort?  We can cry and laugh. We can cry because we’re laughing so hard. We share excitement about new babies and frustrations with work.  We talk about funny memories or TV shows. No one worries about whose sitting where and what we are wearing (I mean unless it’s the ugly Christmas sweater party where the voted best sweater stands to win a fine bottle of wine…or some Pear Berry lotion.). I mean, seriously, I went in g’damn pleather pants. If that isn’t comfort zone, I don’t know what is.

There’s something pretty powerful about a group of gals who can take time away from their work, their families, and their duties.  There’s something pretty awesome about a group of gals who you can freely laugh and cheer and drink and cuss (maybe that’s just me!) with.  

We don’t see each other enough…that’s a fact.  But for me, this time is so precious and freeing.  And I really think that if I needed something these gals would be beside me…and I would do most anything for them. Like plant a bird flying (think fingers, folks) gnome in their front yard cause we miss them…or let them count their Bunco even though I’m pretty sure it was their fifth role.

So find your Bunco time: find the carefree, judgement-free time.  The time where there’s no one to feed but yourself, where your tummy will hurt from laughter, your buzz may make you confess more than you intended, and hell…you may even win $25 if the dice are in your favor.