the nail in the coffin.

i’ve had an ongoing debate with my bestie for a couple years. the topic is so silly i’m (almost) embarrassed to confess it: it’s about who would be who if our group of friends were the characters in sex and the city.

our charlotte is obvious.

and miranda hasn’t been too much of a debate.

if you ask me, this bestie is more of a samantha than a carrie…but her husband begs to differ. he marked me as samantha and her as a carrie.

the thing is, that makes no sense to me…i’m a mostly a prude when it comes to dating and i raaaaarely give up the good-good (which isn’t very carrie, but it’s even less samantha!)

…in my head (and just about every other girl, i’m sure – but this is MY blog, i get to be self-indulgent), i’m SO carrie. in SO many ways.

i have always identified with carrie. she’s all about opening your heart and your mind at the same time. she’s witty, she’s sharp, she’s quirky, but still sexy – in a very accessible, believable way (no time for modesty). carrie and my “storylines” have coincided as i have watched (and re-watched) the show. i feel the inevitable pull from older influences, (and society in general) to “settle down,” whatever that means. and yet, for carrie and i, marriage, babies, and “happily ever after” is not the be-all, end-all in life.

yes ~ i’m mouthy, inappropriate, crass, and impulsive, but at the end of the day, i’m an old-fashioned girl, just like ms bradshaw. we’re sentimental and reflective. we believe in the proverbial ‘one,’ we believe in romance, and most of all: we believe in love.

all women are complex, but i relate to carrie a lot in the way that her needs and feelings are often conflicted and result in charged and sometimes difficult relationships with men. she’s had to know when to walk away, and it’s bittersweet. it’s never easy to strike a balance. not just anyone will do…

when searching for a soulmate, one can never be too picky. and so continues the endless search. carrie was looking for love, real love. “ridiculous, consuming, can’t live without each other love.”

and…
so.
am.
i.

but those things are mostly generalizations…so, let’s get to the nitty gritty. (here’s a short recap):

we’re both writers.
we’re both clothing addicts.
we’re quirky.
we’re neurotic.
we’re both left-handed.

when my last boyfriend and i broke up, he left me the lovely post-it that you see in the top of this post. umm…berger much?! my bestie & i had a nice laugh at this when it happened. a good hard, belly laugh. and we agreed then that i get to be carrie.

but it just got better. so, of course, i HAD to share. i recently heard from my first boyfriend (also my first ever smooch), and he asked me out (i really hope he doesn’t read my blog). after my butterflies subsided, i immediately thought of the ‘boy, interrupted’ episode of sex and the city. and about what carrie said ‘seriously. if i had the guy in high school, what have i been doing for the last twenty years?’

i called my bestie and we agreed that the nail was in the coffin:
i.
am.
carrie.

bummer that her husband married a whore. (or maybe not?!) 😉

boom boom pow.

i’m not a violent person.

a dear friend hit the nail on the head when she said ‘shirin can be a little intimidating at first, but she’s just a big ball of love.’

so true.

to know me is to know that, in my world, love is the only thing that matters.

and i’m not just referring to romantic love.
i mean, the love of:
a good friend
a parent
a fabulous pair of boots
a past love
a cousin who is more like a sister
a sunny day
a sky filled with fireworks
a patch of grass with dandelions

…you get the idea.

suffice to say i definitely fall into the ‘lover’ category over the ‘fighter’ one. but i just completed a boxing class that was SO freakin’ cathartic.

because in my head i was fighting for the only thing that’s worth it: l-o-v-e. (write that down)

it is. written.

this is my favorite spot in my city.

i’ve spent many sunsets and a few sunrises gazing out into the expanse of the ocean and wondering…

i’ve wondered about:
jobs
family
friends
boys
and
love.

no matter what the issue, visiting this spot always makes me feel better. even if it was just the littlest, teeny, tiny bit on my worst, saddest, crappiest day… i’ve visited on my best days and my worst.

it’s my happy place and my thinking spot.

i thought about going here today. to soak up some negative ions (they make you happy, i swear it!), but went for a walk with a friend on a different beach a few miles down. and i’m glad i did. because she said something so lovely that i wouldn’t have heard otherwise. she said that my positive thinking and optimism in situations makes me an inspiration. i was overwhelmed with emotion and failed to properly express how touched i was (which is strange for me because i typically have zero trouble expressing how i feel). i wish i would have. it warmed my heart.

and then a few short hours later another friend told me that being around me made her feel like her again in a time when she felt like she was losing herself and that i ‘have a crazy way of effecting people for the positive’. i will not lie. this made me tear up. i am a not-so-secret sap and i got the warm fuzzies BIG TIME.

thank goodness it’s friday and thank goodness for truly great friends.

the ones who call to tell you they miss you, the ones who stop by to drop off dessert, the ones who send you boots, the ones who text you to tell you they wish they were with you, the ones who french braid your hair, the ones who you can road trip with, the ones who listen to you go on and on about the same boy that is probably getting more shirinergy than he deserves, the ones who agree that red nail polish makes you way bolder than your usual pink, the ones who pet your hair when you sleep, the ones who help you plan your outfits, the ones who you used to date and who now offer an ear and advice, the ones who started as family and became friends, the ones who let you puke on their pillow, the ones who help you see the writing on the wall, the ones who only tell two of their friends when you pee the bed (sober), the ones who call 5 times a day to stay updated on everything going on in your day even when they live across the country, the ones who arrange sleepovers so you can have quality time together, the ones you can tell anything to, the ones who tell you what you need to hear even when you don’t want to listen, the ones who make time in their busy lives, and for all the ones in my life.

i can’t express in words how lucky i feel to know these amazing people. you make my world better. thank you.

you’ve helped me through good times and great times. i’m happy to share my days with you all. i don’t have a clue what my life will bring, but…perhaps, it is written?