As the old saying goes, you can’t pick your sisters, but you can pick your… friends. Well, luckily I was born into a family of four girls. So I had built in sisters! Sure, we sometimes argued – over boys, clothes, or music. But we also bonded over boys, clothes… and music. Unfortunately they’re all living in the east now – Buffalo, NY and Fredericksburg, VA, and it’s tough to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine on a regular basis.
So… I found a group of what I call my Saturday Sisters. It started with my sorority sister, Jill, when we were both in Weight Watchers a few years ago. After weighing in, we would treat ourselves by going to Panera for coffee and whatever. Usually we shared the egg white and caprese breakfast sandwich, which with black coffee was only four points apiece.
Having been close during college, we had drifted apart while raising kids and launching careers. With that behind us, we were ready for some “sister time” and picked up right where we left off. And since we were having so much fun, we started expanding the group.
If memory serves, Mary was next. Then GB partner Nancy, Sherry and Carla (who both live in Canton, thirty minutes away) would join us whenever they didn’t have other obligations. Partner Suzanne lives in Palmyra (also a 30 minute drive), but joins us when she can make an excuse to come to town. This year we’ve added Darlene and Angela, and invited Catherine.
Pre-pandemic, we could count on the fact that Thursday or Friday one of the Saturday Sisters would send out the group text to decide which local restaurant we would visit on Saturday morning. During the initial COVID shutdown we were not able to get together. But when the weather warmed up, we had had enough of quarantine and started meeting on Jill’s breezeway, with proper precautions and social distancing. She supplied the coffee and we either brought our own breakfast or someone would treat the group. The food really doesn’t matter. Good coffee and good friends are the winning combination.
On any given Saturday there might be ten or just two, but some part of the group gets together to mull over the week before or the week to come. To bolster each other or commiserate over the pandemic, the job, the kids, etc. We laugh, we eat, we drink coffee. We relax and we let go.
According to www.cdc.gov, US adults reported
“considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19.”
Therefore, psychologists recommend reaching out to others as a strategy for maintaining your mental health and balance. In this article from Women’s Health Group, it makes the top five in “How to Support your Mental Health during CoVid-19”.
Now the Saturday Sisters include four more college girlfriends, my partners and a colleague from Golden Bridges, and a friend from the theatre.
Recently I hosted the group on my open-air patio (see photo). My husband even cooked for the occasion. Excellent lemon-blueberry bread pudding and marinated orange slices. As usual, we laughed, we talked, and we drank coffee.
As the days get shorter and the chill drives us off the breezeway we are searching for a safe meeting place for the winter. Too big a group to socially distance in a restaurant. Too cold blooded to suffer the cold temperatures. Maybe we will all have to chip in for a tent with a heater. Or maybe we will go the route of other sisters and opt for the safety of Zoom or other meet up platforms.
CLICK HERE to read more on this topic
Whatever the solution, one thing for sure we’ll continue to be Saturday Sisters!
Who is in your “go to” group? What are you doing to stay close during the COVID uncertainty and confusion? Drop a comment on our Facebook page and tell us about your Saturday Sisters!
Susan Scholz
Partner, Golden Bridges