Ladies Weekend

I recently had the privilege of spending a long weekend in Delray Beach with several ladies and had my faith restored in humankind.

Wondertwin invited me to take part in the girls trip. It was just us girls. No husbands, kids or significant others. No chores. No work. Just relaxing, shopping, and talking. Lots of talking.

There were six of us all together and I only knew two, but you would never have known we weren't all lifelong friends. In fact, the way we got along so well was not only refreshing, it restored my faith in adults a wee bit. Between road rage, the daily news, bad behavior in a stressful workplace and the summer hijinks of my husband's ex wife, I had begun to think that adults could no longer behave rationally. Not only did all of us get along great and have fun, we managed to discuss everything from family, kids and hobbies to the state of the economy, how to make a Mohito and bikini waxes. Let's just say everything was open for discussion. And no one argued or got their feelings hurt. Imagine!


Wondertwin had warned me in advance that there were no rules for the weekend. The trip was all about doing what you want, when you want and how you want. There was no pressure to hang with the rest of the group the entire time and you didn't have to go along with every plan made. The understanding was that everyone was invited but no one had to come as plans were formed each day.

We came from different parts of the state and were of varying ages. One was a musician, one a designer, one a computer programmer, three were in public relations. Two were married, the rest were single. Some had kids. Some had pets.

One thing we all had in common is that we all were listeners of NPR. I noticed throughout the weekend that one by one each woman referred to NPR in recounting a story or in discussing an issue. Not that it means anything. Note to NPR executives, if you're reading this, you would do well to cover more "women's issues." We seem to be a strong demographic for your marketers. How about exploring issues like why women's bathing suits cost so much when there's so little fabric and start a movement banning pantyhose.

This trip provided an opportunity to discover something new about myself. It seems that I may be the only women left on earth who has never taken a "girlfriend trip," much less taken a trip like this on an annual basis. I took a trip with my sister and mother on a cruise once, but apparently traveling with family doesn't count as a girlfriend trip. This revelation was like discovering self-tanner spray for the first time. You mean you don't have to lay out in the hot Florida sun, sweltering in the humidity until you're nothing but a giant sweat puddle and incur skin cancer to get a tan? You can just spray it on and go? Who'd have thunk?

All these years - my entire life- I've only ever vacationed with my family or my husband. Well, now that the scales have fallen from my eyes, it's going to be a whole different game. Have spray tan and girlfriends will travel!