Day 19

Heaps of people have commented or written or told me how much they're enjoying my blog and how inspirational it is for them. If I was a better person I'd say something about how humbling it is to know that I've made some small difference to people's lives - but the reality is that it's actually just giving me an even bigger ego. *wink*

Truth be told, though, I get more than my fair share from the people around me. I'm truly blessed to have such amazing friends who inspire me every day.

There's this girl I roll with, she is amazing. I've never met someone as graceful and patient as this one. She has an amazing gift for knowing when to speak, and when to be silent. Although she lives alone in the city - which I think is brave enough in itself - she is never afraid to try new things: surfing, getting a bike licence, even traveling overseas alone. She can cook pancakes from scratch. She has many admirers, but she isn't full of herself at all. I'm so proud of her, proud to be her friend. She inspires me everyday, to be more adventurous.

Theres this other girl I roll with, she's an ace. She can eat a whole Mars Bar cheese cake in a sitting. She works out regularly (hello, holy grail) and looks fabulous. Best of all, she is a supermummy. Not a supermummy like 'spotless house, fresh baking, children in ironed shirts, clean carpet' supermummy. But an 'adores her kids, sees the opportunity in each moment, happy enough to have mess and chaos and crazy kids because at the end of the day they are loved and gorgeous, and will fight like a lioness to defend them from any earthly harm' supermummy. She inspires me everyday, to be more vicarious.

There's this girl I roll with, she is wicked. Cooks like an angel from the kitchen of God, and can kick a** in an argument with just about anyone. I reckon she could probably whip the Dalai Lama into line over a thing or two. She dresses with style, and redecorates about once a week. But she knows how to speak the truth, and isn't afraid to tell it how it is. She inspires me every day, to be more bold.

There's this girl I roll with, she has put up with me for a long, long time, and still manages to see the best in me. No matter how many times I pulled her hair, or called her the worst names, she still loves me, and she is irresistibly fun. She inspires me to be more loyal.

There's this girl I roll with who I've actually never met, but she shows amazing bravery and hope in the face of what seemed like probable defeat, risking heartbreak again to bring her dream of a much wanted baby to life. She is walking, cradling this tiny life, tiptoeing through every day at the moment, probably with her heart in her throat, but she is walking. She inspires me to be more courageous.

There's this girl I roll with, also mostly online, but honestly I have never met anyone who is quite as able to make lemonade out of life's lemons. Pretty sure if I had been in her shoes these last few years I would have checked out of life and into self-pity a looong time ago. It's not true that lightning can't strike twice,and it's not true of cancer and your loved ones, either. But this one, she has a spring in her step and she still has time for the cares of others. She is feisty about bringing the best of herself to her family, her friends, the world. She inspires me every single day, to be more joyful.

There's this guy I roll with, we see a fair bit of each other, but I still get a kick out of waking up next to him. He is the definition of consistency, of generosity and of genuine interest in others' well-being. He's also mighty well put together, and has almost a zero rate of hair-fall. Sometimes when I look at him and catch him looking back my stomach does that feeling like when you drop suddenly in an elevator. I feel a little bit like I might have gotten away with a neat trick by convincing him to marry me, but I'm keeping that quiet. He inspires me every day, to be a little less selfish.

If you can't pick yourself out of the list above, it's just because I didn't get to you, yet.

I could go on all night, but there's wine needs drinking, and B-grade movies need picking to pieces. Anyway, I don't want to gush, but I dig y'all, okay?

M xx