By Living Room Realty, March 11, 2020
Jane, my seller, just closed on an investment rental in Kenton that she’s held since 2010. For the last several years, she has been traveling the west in six month stints as a medical doctor helping underserved communities. She lives a simple life in an RV with two beautiful white huskies so simplifying life further grew organically out of her current nomadic life. So, come late January, we listed the rental property, multiple offers ensued and she was delighted to accept an offer well above list price.
I had the chance to celebrate with Jane and six other mutual friends at a Monday night dinner in my home. Jane was coming to Portland for a brief stay and we jumped at the chance to gather while most of us were in the same place at the same time. Our eclectic group were all strangers a dozen years ago when we found ourselves joining a boot camp fitness class held at the Laurelhurst club in the park by the same name. I will never forget my impetus to sign up—it was fall of 2008, the economy was in crisis and with the stock market spiraling, I needed to ground myself. Little did I know that the downturn was just beginning and just how much I would be relying on those morning meet ups.
You get to know someone quickly in the intimate confines of an early morning exercise class as well as during the regular coffee meet ups that followed. Wednesday morning class was held at Mt Tabor, an hour run where bonds were accelerated while encouraging one another as we ran up and around the mountain. Soon we began to meet for potlucks and walks outside of class. People came and went but a core group of women developed friendships that have long survived the demise of the boot camp. We’ve seen one another through the loss of parents, health challenges, career changes and the unfathomable loss of a too-young husband to a rare terminal disease. It had been a while since many of us gathered so Monday’s dinner was a sweet reminder of the importance in making that happen. The gratitude I feel for this extraordinary and diverse tribe of women is immense. One thing I know for certain is that navigating Life is exponentially better for their presence. The world is a wild and wonderful place, often dark these days but I am holding tight to the light of these blessed friendships.
