Laugh out loud

I'm reading the new Lauren Weisberger (the chick who wrote The Devil Wears Prada) novel, Chasing Harry Winston...which in my opinion, is much better than TDWP. Anyway, there is a scene where the three main characters, all women, are having brunch and laughing about some hair brain bet they've made with each other. The author describes the laughter between the women as "the kind that happens all too rarely after college."

WORD.

That line made me stop reading. Whether or not you went to college or were lucky enough to have the storybook college experience that I'm so grateful for, there is something about life at that particular age. Life before work, deadlines, early mornings, more and more frequent early nights, bills, mortgages, weddings, relationships, pets, babies - why does cracking up with your girl friends seem to get lost in all that?

Some of my best memories are of being silly with my girl friends...and not even always my best friends. In fact, junior year of college I decided against living in my sorority house and became a resident advisor in a Freshman dorm. I did it because I loved being a camp counselor when I was in high school, and because you got your own room and free room and board. I can easily say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. I made 23 new girl friends...little sisters. I remember one particular night during first semester finals, I was writing a 75 page paper on beauty for my nihilism and existence class. The countdown on the dry erase board outside my door said "24 pages to go" and I was on the verge of a meltdown. I wandered out into the hall to see if there were any other procrastinators I could talk to - and as always, there were. Three of my residents were sitting on the floor in the hall wearing PJs and zit cream, with their books and papers spread out everywhere. I slumped down next to them and within minutes we were laughing hysterically about embarrassing moments, campus gossip, hook-ups and our families. I laughed until my face hurt, my sides felt like I'd done a three hour ab workout and I had to keep my legs crossed for fear of peeing my pants.

Maybe it was because we were in college and everyone lives next door, making laughter and companionship more accessible, maybe it was because it was finals and we were all a little slap happy, or maybe it was the result of the only time in your life when you have complete freedom without the wagon full of responsibility that comes with being an adult.

It wasn't a life changing or earth shattering event, but I'll always remember that night. It's a good reminder of a more carefree time in my life and of how fun girls can in the absence of boys and pettiness.