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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

There are people in this world who are just like sunshine. Sitting with them, talking to them, sometimes just being near them is all you need to feel better. You sit a little taller, your burdens seem a little lighter and the rest of the day is just more manageable because of your time with them. I’m blessed to have a few people in my life that refresh me in this way.

My friend Dusty is one of those people. She recently moved even further away and now our adventures aren’t as frequent as we’d like. An opportunity came up where we could see each other, but it would be for just one day. It didn’t matter. I was instantly willing to put in the seven hours of driving to soak up her much-needed energy. The cool thing about friendships like these is that it is symbiotic. She feels equally refreshed after spending time with me, so it’s a win-win. In fact, after a few hours together, we usually start day dreaming of the day when we can be retired neighbors.

She talks and thinks as fast as I do. We have three different conversations going simultaneously, and neither one is confused. We’ve seen each other at our worst and our best, and there are no secrets between us. We don’t have to watch our words or worry that we’ll upset or offend each other. We can slouch our shoulders and just be 100% our authentic selves. Both of us are currently coming from fairly stressful situations in our lives, so to spend even a few hours together is exactly what we need to get refocused and reenergized.

We didn’t get to our hotel until 8 p.m. On a normal night, that’s when I start to think about getting ready for bed. However, this was not a normal night. I think we finally called it quits around 1:30 a.m. I don’t go out, and I know I’m not that old, but staying up after 10 p.m. feels almost like punishment.

Staying up with her, however, was easy and fun. We had no concern with how tired we’d be the next day; we were just living and enjoying the moment. It reminded me that I need more moments like that.

Every day just feels so full of everything. Lots of work, pulling me in lots of different directions. Lots of activities that my children need to get to. Lots of things happening all around me and not enough time to get it all in. Periodically I recognize this and have to do a reset. Pull away, start saying no and prioritize what actually deserves my time and energy.

This mini-vacation was exactly what I needed. Like turning off and on my computer so it can reboot. I needed to step away from my everyday life for a moment. Take a breath, gain some perspective and eat my weight in sushi with someone who gets me. 10/10 highly recommend.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears in the Tribune every Saturday.