What is Thirsty Thursday you ask?

Well, for many of you it may be an excuse to go to the bar and drink copious amounts of cocktails. And no judgment of that Thirsty Thursday, however during a pandemic those traditional Thirsty Thursday options were just not available to us. Now add in the fact that I am geographically undesirable to my friends (I live in Nor Cal and they are in So Cal), and we had to come up with something more creative.

So, at my house Thirsty Thursday is a standing Zoom date I have with two of my friends. The friendship began when I lived down there and under normal circumstances the friendship was maintained by frequent girls weekends or trips together. Add in a pandemic and well those normal activities came to a screeching halt.

I am not sure whose idea this was, pretty sure it wasn't mine, but at the beginning of Covid we were all feeling pretty isolated, as was just about everyone I know, bordering on uncivilized and unsocialized and we came up with the idea of having a standing Thirsty Thursday wine call. 

This call has continued for the last 2 years and it has been an incredible blessing!

Now, every Thursday at 5pm PST the three of us pour a glass of wine, jump on Zoom and spend the next 2-ish hours laughing, catching up, and sharing random pieces of information.

As we come out of Covid (I hope) we have continued this tradition as it has given us an opportunity to stay in touch, especially as I travel for work and live 12 hours away from two of my dearest friends.  I have even had Thirsty Thursday while on the road  from hotels across the country. Yup they are lucky enough to see the ugly hotel carpet and parking lot views from throughout the US.

Thirsty Thursday has become such an important part of my life and it has allowed us to feel connected during really difficult times in our personal lives, as well as this world. 

We have done matching shirt calls, cooking calls, dance party calls, and well of course talk party calls. Side note, as a kid when my Mom wanted to talk about something serious she would tell me we needed to have a "talk party."

We talk about everything from what is going on in our lives and let me tell you we have all gone through some pretty big life events - new grandbabies, new jobs, the loss of loved ones (human and furry), the loss of relationships/friendships, life stressors and so much more. 

We have also laughed so hard we cried covering topics such as glow in the dark margarita glasses or designs for new inventions we think the world needs. We also have a running last of Netflix shows, recipes, or podcasts that we share (some ideas better than others). We collect random things we want to share with each other throughout the week and word vomit all over each other every Thursday night.

More than anything it has been a touchstone for me these last 2 years. It has given me something to look forward to every week and during Covid it was honestly the only thing often on my calendar other than work. It has provided me with a sounding board, a social outlet, real human connection in a time where our country and the people in it tend to be completely divided, and it has been an incredible support system during a time of big life changes. 

Many people who know of this tradition are confused by the fact that we have continued these conversations now that we could all be sitting in the same room, but this allows us to continue to connect regardless of where we are in the world or in life. It has allowed us to stay in touch and be an active part in each others lives when its so easy to get overwhelmed by the day to day. It is amazing to have friends who know the details of my life and I theirs regardless of outside circumstances. It has honestly brought us closer together.

I have found that it has been super helpful having this standing meeting on my calendar. It is a commitment to myself, my friendships and a reminder as to who and what is important in my life. At times it becomes too easy to push off those things that aren't required and this helps me show up for myself and those I love. 

So, want to take a moment to say thank you for incredible friendship, to the commitment of friendships and also to share this idea with anyone who is struggling for connection, missing their friends and family, or just want to make their life a little better. Cheers and Happy Thirsty Thursday!