Dear Tisha,

When I met Tisha, she only had 2 kids. Over to my house for a playgroup I noticed she had a tatoo and you was a runner. I knew could totally relate to this woman. A mom with a tatoo! Six years and four kids later, we're still connecting. Although when we call each other, it's for some “one quick question” it always turns into an hour long conversation about deep, deep topics. All the topics you're not supposed to talk about. Religion, abortion, politics, money. And even though we might disagree, we always come out the other side just fine. Looking back, we're almost unlikely friends; except that we like each other so much. Yes, there can be admiration from the other side of the aisle.

Together, Tisha and I got very green over the past year. I bought canvas shopping bags, Tisha bought canvas shopping bags. Tisha bought cloth napkins, I bought cloth napkins. Tisha dusts with vinegar and olive oil and I dust with vinegar and olive oil. Somehow we entered this parallel universe of green-ness where we grew together. Green and organic and free-range and grass-fed.

Tisha is my “strive to be better” friend. Her commitment to DO is so admirable. I love her gigantic heart, her gigantic family. She lives her life with such integrity. With honesty to her children, to her relatives, to her friends, to herself. She is someone who can be depended on to tell you the deal about something but without meanness or condescension. And because she's always so upright about things, her sarcastic sense of humor ALWAYS throws me off. I'm still not used to it.

Tisha, I think that it's probably healthy to live in a state of de-Nile sometimes. So, let's just say that because I want to reduce my carbon footprint, I'm just not going to be coming out to Peyton any longer to see you. I'll still be RIGHT HERE in COLORADO SPRINGS, but I'm not going to buy gas to travel that far for the next, oh, 3 ½ years. But I'll read your blog everyday and you can read mine and we'll call sometimes. And in a few years when I'm ready to have a high impact on the environment again, I'll come see you. See? It's really ok. I'll be right over here.

But still, I will miss you dearly. I have loved watching your family grow and grow and grow. And I can't wait to meet the new additions that you'll have next time I see you. We'll be old and worn out, the two of us. But it will be the same, I'm sure of it. My friendship with you is easy that way.
I love you,
Katy