It Is Trish

Yesterday I spent the morning doing an online fundraising meeting, and my coach encouraged me by reframing my need ($9,000) as needing just eight people to donate at $100/month.  That’s so doable!  So…anyone want to donate $100/month for just one year?

I met Ashley at her apartment around 11:00.  She was my Craig 3 sister during my freshman year of college, and she’s always up for a reunion, which I appreciate.  She and her husband Stephen recently had baby Adeline, so I got to snuggle her a little bit before passing her off to her mom.  “In just a couple years she’s going to hit the bratty stage,” Stephen said.

“That’s when I start liking them!” I said.  Stephen looked at me strangely.

“Tricia is the friend who I’m trading babies with.  I’ll raise both of our kids until they’re five, and then Tricia raises them until they’re teenagers.”

“Pretty soon you’ll be mine!” I cooed, squeezing Adeline’s toes.  Stephen continued to look alarmed, I don’t know why.  

Ashley and I left husband and baby behind to get lunch and catch up.  We headed back to the apartment so she could feed Adeline, and then we went back out to the post office (my errand) and the Memphis library (my past time).  We spent the rest of the afternoon at her apartment watching Human Planet, a show I didn’t know existed by the people who made Planet Earth.

I went back to Mallory’s house for the night.  She made dinner for us after getting home from work, and then her two roommates joined us at the dining room table for wine, ice cream, and apples with dip (that was not the dinner, we were making up for a healthy baked chicken and brussell sprouts).  I really like her roommates!  Between her church and her house, I just kind of want to steal Mallory’s life, but in a totally not creepy way.

Mallory and I then spent the next three hours talking on her bed about singleness and romance.  It got pretty hilarious, since we devolved (or evolved?) into what I like to think could be classified as a conversation by two neurotics-seeking-health.

“I just want you to admit that being single is not enough so that I can win this argument!” I yelled.

“Are we in an argument?” Mallory asked.  “I thought we were discussing.”

I fell forward.  “I was arguing,” I mumbled into the covers.  I abruptly sat up straight.  “And I want to be right!  One of my needs buckets is the constant desire to be right in everything, all the time.”

“Well, one of my needs buckets is physical affection, which I kind of need right now because I didn’t realize we were arguing.”

I placed my hand on Mallory’s shoulder.  “I love you, Mallory,” I told her.  “Now please admit I was right.”

She touched my knee.  “I don’t think you’re right, Tricia.  But I still love you.”

“ARGH,” I screamed, collapsing again.  “I don’t even know why I’m arguing this.  I WANT singleness to be enough, but I just really fear that it isn’t.”

“You’re funny,” Mallory said, patting my knee again.

“That helps,” I grumbled.

It was a great three-hour long conversation, full of almost tears and then laughter because both of us cover up our pain with humor, but because we KNEW that, it was still lovely and intimate.  I always have the best, deepest, hardest conversations with Mallory about God and life and pursuing meaning in the mystery.  I love her so much!  I’m very glad I chose to spend so many days in Memphis.