Pink Ribbon Breakfast

So it’s that time of year, where life seems to have suddenly gained momentum and pausing for air (or Rosé) is beginning to look like somewhat of a luxury. Lord only knows we needed something to look forward to and something to put a little spring in our step and send us hurtling head and hearts first into June.

Enter the Pink Ribbon Breakfast!

Think Bubbles, Bagels and Boobies! All in the name of raising a little money for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation to help out those whose lives have been turned upside down by this disease. Not only am I sure that many of us have had our lives touched by breast cancer but it’s also pretty scary to think that we ourselves or one of our gals might have to face it at some point. So this is us coming together in solidarity to say a big Kia Kaha to the fighters and survivors and help kick cancers butt with them!

This event is dedicated to Nena. The first thing I ever remember knowing about breast cancer was ‘this is my Grandma and she has one boob, but she can still go swimming’. Now, having just celebrated her 89th birthday with her, I’m pretty happy that there are doctors out there somewhere that knew how to make her better. So while I won’t be curing anyone with my arts degree, I’m more than happy to butter some crumpets and get some funds through the door!

It’s also a lovely chance to get together and Salute Your Sisters! (and to drink at breakfast) new faces and old ones, these lovely ladies are special gems that deserve a brekky in their honour! A chance to meet and hang with some gals who are COOL AS HECK™ (I think we can all agree that as soon as Hips Don’t Lie hits the stereo lifelong bonds are made).

So the invites went out, the brief being to ditch the hungover episodes of Friends for the REAL DEAL.

and with enough food to feed a small army we we’re ready to get festive.

A little rain didn’t stop us either, with a minor relocation indoors providing ample opportunity to warm up by dancing to Florence & The Machine.

Female friendship is a funny old thing. There’s no rule book for being a good friend and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone doing it right all the time but I think after quite a bit of practice now I’ve got the basics.

You don’t have to solve all the world’s problems in one go you just need to be there. Be the one saying, ‘I’m home all night and I’ve got wine, come over when you’re free’. Know when to put yourself aside and just be an ear or a shoulder to cry on. Know when a problem can be solved by a euphoric dance session or a lil block of chocolate on the pillow. Know when to send a virtual hug and say ‘I can’t be there for u right this minute because I think I might self combust with stress but I’m sending you love’.

These gals are like the most supreme Rubix Cube of Life solvers. You sit down with a Pinot Gris and a boatload of problems and then suddenly after an hour you feel untangled, with somehow a bit more clarity and a stitch from laughing. They are the ones who leave you with more energy than you had before. They are the ones who know when just lying horizontal together on your phone for two hours is totally fine. They are the ones that you can send a message at 1am to and say  ‘I’m really gonna need some positive affirmation to get through this essay’. The ones who can tell each other how much they mean to each other but also it’s all there in the squeezes too.

This year, like every year has thrown us all a few curveballs. Everyone has had their own challenges but this is when females are fiercely supportive of each other. It’s not always easy when we are spread far and wide across the globe but we know when we have a friendship that’s worth fighting for. These are the friends who rally around, rise to the occasion and say don’t worry I’ve got you. It’s not always sunshine and Rosé, and it’s totally ok not be ok,  but we’ll always be here for each other to make sure we all pop out the other side of those darker days.

In the spirit of Elle Woods herself, I also decided we could probably use some encouragement to spread the love, so pretending we were back at Year 9 camp we all wrote each other some warm fuzzies. Highlights include ‘you don’t look hungover at ALL!’ or ‘hey ur tan looks OK’ but they get better. Nothing better than seeing women praise other women for their strength, resilience, intelligence, passion, energy, determination and spark. I could go on and on, I am forever inspired by these women and all the women doing the BIZ in my life.

So cheers to these lovely ladies, thank you for making me full up with warmth and donuts. Thank you to those women who couldn’t make it but are out there spreading the love . Until next year!