the family you choose...

My friend, Ellie, was hit by a cab on Saturday. She's got a broken leg and a broken arm. She's in a wheelchair and basically confined to her Murray Hill apartment. To top it all off, she's over 65 and she looks so much like my grandmother that I can't help but love her. She has a little dog (that I adopted out to her) that she can't care for while she's totally immobile, and I didn't hesitate in taking her pooch and caring for her while she couldn't. Why? Not just because of my obligation to the dog, but because she's important to me, and her health is important to me, and if taking Jess off of her hands for a few weeks helps her to heal, then I'll do what it takes.

This got me thinking that there is something special about New York City where friends are concerned, something that seems to happen no where else, that you actually start building your own family out of the friends you make - and not just friends your own age, but people of all ages who support you that absolutely don't HAVE to. Does that make sense? I've made the most amazing family here... my friends are so understanding and patient - when I'm totally off the wall with work or the critters, and I don't see or speak to them for days at a time, they're not annoyed, because they get it. They're busy too, time doesn't work right here, and days pass without really noticing.

So to my friend-family (framily?) that makes living in this crazy city easier: thank you. I am so lucky to have all of you. You know who you are - the ones that meet for brunch, the ones that care as much about the critters as I do, the ones I don't see as much as I would like to, the ones who seem to know just when to text or email a funny picture or one liner when I'm having a bad day. Each and every one of you makes me feel less alone, and here, in this crazy town, that's something really really special.

I get to see my natural family this weekend too, which is awesome, especially since we're getting to come together for Amy's wedding, and everyone will be sharing her joy.

And getting another weekend away will be super nice. Thanks to Abby, who will watch the critters and the house while we're away, it's a possibility. Framily enables everything.