Day 57

“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.”
Rumi

(this post is for my dance partner)

We headed back from San Diego later on Sunday afternoon just in time to stop by my dear friend Sonia's house. Her wonderful father, James, was in town visiting and she threw a dinner party for all of us. I must be honest, after a weekend in San Diego, I was dragging as we pulled up to the house. I was tired and cranky and dreaming of my bed. But as soon as I walked in, I was wrapped in the kind of warmth that only a Sonia gathering could offer. I was immediately overjoyed and completely energized. We spent the evening sipping champagne and chatting out in the garden (which is stunning by the way...peppers, watermelons, herbs, strawberries, everything!) while Sonia slaved over a hot stove making beautiful chile rellenos for us. A group of us sat out back sharing stories with her father and each other...

 (that's us!!)

...having such a lovely time, when I looked up and saw Sonia through the kitchen window. She had a look on her face that I am all too familiar with. It is the frantic but focused and determined face of a woman who is cooking for the people she loves. I couldn't help but smile. I instantly knew what today's post would be about. 

Sonia and I met in college. We studied acting at CCM together. She was one year under me, but we ran in the same circles and over those few short, crazy years, we became great friends. So many memories I have of those years have that girl in them. So many nights of fun, dinner parties, carving pumpkins, rehearsals for several plays, and so much more. Sonia and I even developed a special code for when we needed each other. All you had to do was pick up the phone, call, and, when the other answered, say "uuugghhhh." That's when you knew your girl needed you. You drop everything and come running. We still use it to this day. 

As great as our friendship was back then....it pales in comparison to what we have now. Sonia moved out to Los Angeles a few years ago and moved in to a place very close to mine. We began hanging out all the time. Then came Dance Night. See, Sonia and I share a love of SYTYCD (look it up). She actually introduced me to it. So we started getting together once a week to watch our show, drink wine, gab over each performance, and speculate who would stay and who would go home. But that was just one aspect of our Dance Night. We would use this time to share our hearts. We'd talk about things going on in our lives, share struggles we'd been having, give advice, and just take an evening to relax in each others company. We even started sharing recipes and cooking together on those nights... another love we both share. She even taught me how to make chimichurri!! That wonderful little dance night once a week became so much more and turned our friendship into steel...strong, solid, and never to be broken.

Sonia is a fierce friend. She will celebrate your victories, help you move past your loses, and isn't afraid to shoot straight when you need to hear it. And she expects the same. Over the past few years we discovered just how similarly we think. You know how sometimes you'll go to explain something to someone, like a dream or a complicated thought process that is pretty particular to you, and you're not sure if anyone else will get it? Then, halfway through explaining it, you feel like they may think you're a crazy person? Well, that doesn't happen with Sonia and I. We think alike. I'll start to explain something to her and by the time I get 2 sentences out, she gets it! And she doesn't just say that the she gets it...she really gets it. I can tell. I just know that I don't have to put it all in to words because she's already picked it up...she already feels what I mean. (Even now, as I'm explaining, I feel like these sound like incoherent ramblings....but I know Sonia gets it. And that's all that matters)

One other thing that stands out about this woman is her loyalty. Sonia and I have both been through some pretty tough times. Really tough actually. A few years ago I made some major changes in my life. Some changes that some people didn't agree with. I lost friends even. I knew the decision I made was right, but didn't know how to navigate this new path, didn't know how to start over. And in a time when I felt lost, not knowing how to deal with the gossip and the judgment ....there was a knock at the door. There Sonia was on my front porch. Arms and heart wide open. There to help me put one foot in front of the other. There to listen. There to love. There to be a true friend. I will never ever forget that night. 

I have tried my best to be there for her in the same way in her time of need. And I always will be. I have watched her go through so much. Watched her struggle and grow, watched her start over and thrive, watched her lose herself....and find herself. She is the epitome of strength. I mean...this woman has done a half marathon, a mud run, and a triathlon and keeps going back for more! She's incredible!! She's inspiring! She is a champion.

There's one other thing that I think is worth noting....we don't fight. I know, it sounds crazy. But I can't remember ever getting into a fight with her. I'm sure we've been frustrated with each other at one time or another...but we've always been so open with each other that it has never gotten to that point. 

But then again...I guess its hard to fight when you're always dancing.

Day 57: I am grateful for the one and only Sonia Koschoreck. For her strength, her loyalty, her kindness, for her fierce friendship. I am grateful for every step we've taken together, how our friendship has developed, strengthened, and grown. I am grateful for every Dance Night that was...and every Dance Night to come. I love you more than words could ever say, my dear. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being you.

(YES! That is us right behind Kenny Ortega and Katie Holmes at the SYTYCD Season 8 finale. Thank you to Alessandro for making our dream come true!!)