For almost 2 years, I’ve only seen a handful of my friends. There are a bunch of reasons for this, but one of the ones that is the toughest is that so many of my friends have moved away from LA. I know that everyone is moving for good reasons and because they want to, but it’s still tough when my social circle shrinks.
But having friends move away isn’t just something that has been happening during the pandemic. This is something I’ve experienced for a long time. People move away for jobs and opportunities all the time. And while I’m always sad when a friend is leaving, because they are leaving for exciting things I am also always happy for them. And when they come back to LA for a visit, I’m always looking forward to seeing them. I know that I don’t always get to see everyone when they come into town if they are here for work or something else keeping them busy, but I always make time when someone asks if I’ll be free.
And then sometimes situations fall into place that allows me to have a longer unexpected friend hangout like I got last week. My friend Brandi was coming into LA for some work meetings (she’s a writer that is working on the upcoming season of a tv show). I knew she’d be very busy when she was here, so I was waiting for her to reach out to me to let me know if she’d have some free time. And when she did, it was more than just an invitation to meet up for coffee or something quick.
Due to the timing of her meetings and which parts of LA they would be in, she wanted to know if I had space for her to stay with me for a night. She originally asked if I had the extra room at my place available, but that’s in the condo so I’m not there yet. But she said she didn’t mind if it was an air mattress in my living room, so of course I said she could stay with me!
I hadn’t seen Brandi for a few years (even before the pandemic), so I was so happy to have her stay with me so we could have time to catch up and hang out. And I’m so grateful she didn’t mind staying on an air mattress or that I would be leaving for a workout early the next morning (she was able to stay at my place when I was working out, but I was worried I would wake her up as I was leaving). And when she got here, it was a bit late but I was too excited to see her to go to bed on time. I did stay up later than I wanted to, but it was completely worth it!
And the next day, she was around in the morning before her meeting and since she left her luggage here during that meeting, I got to hang out with her more after too! I got to have so much more friend time by helping out and letting her stay with me. And honestly, it didn’t feel like I was doing a favor since I got so much out of it too!
I know I’ve said this so many times over the past 2 years, but having this sleepover/hangout really made me appreciate my friends and friendships so much. I’m so grateful for all the people in my life and I’ve missed so many of them. But it’s so wonderful to see that time doesn’t weaken true friendships. We were able to pick up things just like we had seen each other last week or month. And seeing how my friendships have lasted and stood the test of time makes me feel so lucky to have everyone in my life.
Hopefully the next time Brandi and I get to hang out, we can plan for it a bit more. Or if she needs a place to crash I will be in my new place so there will be an actual room for her. But even if it ends up being the same as it was this time, I will feel so happy I get to spend some time with an awesome friend!
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