Realness

This morning, I was talking with my neighbor and Friend, Erica Hansard, on the phone.
A word about Erica...

She's such a giver! She's the kind that makes you want to take your milk money and purchase a sparkly bottle of nail polish to give to her! Water's good for you, anyway...right? I can't count the times she's walked out to my 'burb on a cold fall morning with coffee in hand to give to me as I dutifully take my turn in our carpool...or the time she brought me coffee to the consignment sale. And how about moving my 'burb when I had it parked in the "no parking" area at THE consignment sale?!..Erica actually enjoys doing for others.

(Pics are of Anna & my Scarlett...
they are best friends)

She is, however, not perfect.

One of the things I love about her is that she's "for real". I've got a yucky taste in my mouth for people who can't be themselves. Who cares if your house isn't perfect or if you just put another pump knot on your husband's head with the frying pan...or you have a bad hair day? A "really" bad hair day...? Not Erica! I don't have to be "perfect" to be her friend. She accepts me as I am...pajamas and all. And she wears hers, too. Real pajamas.

Reminiscent of a couple of other longtime and precious friendships come to mind...late night heart-to-hearts over several pots of coffee, etc. Real coffee. And even friendships involving tears over the latest boyfriend. Real tears.
So this morning, we were babbling away on the phone ( a real tired phone) when Erica excitedly informs me that her husband bought her a new ball cap. She even describes the color of the cap. That almost made me wet my britches. See...Erica values her ball caps for those days when she doesn't wash her hair, but throws on a cap to cover the grease. I HORSE-laughed her this morning!!!! One of those things that you know about a person, yet when you least expect it...you get a deeper perspective on their value of it. Real perspective.

Thus...the ball cap.
I've never been a ball cap girl. I know others who are ball cap girls. They throw on their sweats/jeans and a ball cap, and they're good to go. Not without their makeup being PERFECT, however. But that's another blog on another day.

I am a greasy ponytail type girl. Just brush it all back, into a ponytail, squeeze the grease out into a black iron pan for use later on...glue all those escapee strands to your head with hairspray...then go. Not without perfect makeup most of the time, however. People will tend to view you as someone important because of your neat, glued-on hairdo and your upgraded jeans/sweater look. But as for all those ball cap girls...

It's obviously a bad hair day.
Now why would you want to be that obvious? Well...if you're as cute as Erica is...nobody cares. Once you see that big smile pop out on her face...you think she's promoting a new style! And most folks wouldn't guess just how slicked-back her hair really is on a ball cap day, because she wears her ball cap like she wears a jacket. She makes it look like it's supposed to be there...and not to hide an oil-change, either.
And after I shared my "ball cap" moment...using fishing wire as a slide necklace for my slide pieces of jewelry...SHE about wet HER pants!

Oh...what's a little honesty among friends, eh?




Just make sure you change your pants...