In my twenties, GNOs were all about going out to some bar, dancing, drinking, and flirting, and having a good time.  In my thirties, they’ve taken on more significance.
There’s still the nights we plan so we can blow off steam. No husbands or boyfriends, no kids.  Dressing in something cute, blocking the night on the calendar a few weeks in advance and going somewhere a little different.  Then there’s my monthly dinner with three friends I met in 2007 when I walked the Breast Cancer 3 Day.  We met each other on a training walk, and formed a team and have stayed in touch since then.  
There’s the ladies I know through the alumnae association of our sorority. We were all advisors together at a local University, and although we’ve not advised together for years now, we still stay in touch.
There are the more simple gatherings.  The people I’m friends with simply because we are friends. My best friend. The women I went to college with, the women I met once I joined the working world.  Whether we are meeting for dinner and drinks, or coffee, or even a walk.  


All of these offer something.  In the bar hopping days of our twenties, there wasn’t a lot of substance. But now, as we’re all getting a little older, we have bonds that are deeper than which guy we think is cute. We have relationships that transcend marital and parental status.  Those things can certainly change a relationship, but we’re bonded on things beyond that, but our Girls Nights let us connect on the things that unite us.