10-10-10

Fourteen years ago I was a part of the first girls cross country team in my high school to ever qualify for the state finals. We were a small team of just 8 from a small school in a small community. On paper, we should weren't good enough to compete at the state level. But somehow with a tremendous amount of hard work, lots of miles, countless speed workouts, and most importantly heart, we did what no other girls team had ever done. We had an amazing sense of team because we weren't just teammates, we were friends. Our unity was forged every afternoon at practice, on long runs, during bus rides to and from meets, in the pre race nerves, in the inside jokes that are only funny when you are 16.

During that season of firsts, we made a pact to meet at the starting line of our home cross country course on 10-10-10. No one really remembers why we picked this date, and I don't think any of us thought that we would actually follow through.

We graduated and went our separate ways. We turned into physical therapists, teachers, members of the military, marketing analysts, counselors, wives, and mothers.

Some of us stayed in touch. But even though we maybe only heard of each other through parents or friends of friends, 10-10-10 was always remembered.

And then the date came. And we met at the starting line (all of us but one), like we said we would when we were young enough to believe that we would never actually be 30.

We took pictures, reminisced, ate a tremendous amount of carbs and sugar, caught each other up on our lives, and laughed like we were as funny as we used to believe. Even though our lives have taken different directions, we all felt that connection formed years ago. We are lifelong friends, and I am blessed to be a part of this group--that now has plans to meet on 10-10-20 (since there is no 20-20-20).