As you go through life you accrue many close friends starting with childhood which moves into your adult life. Then, one day, along comes someone whom you meet by happenstance, and you know you’ll be friends forever. I just so happen to have a friend that I met (shamefully) at an adult toy home party for ladies about fourteen years ago, and we have been best friends ever since.

At this “party” several of my friends were sitting on a fireplace hearth passing along an anatomy book the demonstrator wanted us to see. The book got to me. I looked and looked at this book, and I just couldn’t see what I was supposed to see. The lady sitting next to me turned the book completely around, and AHA!, there it was. Right before my eyes. She sat there laughing and laughing. We had already introduced ourselves in the group, and I said I was a teacher. She couldn’t believe that a teacher would have a female body part turned completely upside down. And, hence, our relationship began.

We sat and chatted on that hearth, and we exchanged enough information about each other that we thought we would enjoy each other’s company. I was the leader of a “Red Hat” organization, and she joined us. She started to call me more often or we would sit together at lunches. We found we could make each other laugh, joke, and do silly things spontaneously as she had such an easy going personality. Yes, we became fast and hard friends.

The characteristic I adored most about my new friend was that she had a heart of gold. She would bestow upon you little gifts for no reason. She just might have some extra treat she had made, or she might see something in the store and think of you. It might be a box of cookies or as lavish as an antique she no longer wanted. It was a pleasure knowing someone so kind.

Then along comes Facbook video chat! No one was safe anymore. We would “meet and greet” each other about 7:00 a.m on video chat every morning. Our husbands were still working, and it was a bit of an annoyance to them. We would be laughing, singing, and talking at 7:00 a.m. when our husbands were trying to get ready for work. My husband was usually gone by that time, so I was okay. However, at first, her husband wasn’t used to another person “being” in his dining room and would walk out in his underwear! Eventually our relationships grew to the point where her husband said he had two wives. Plus, he would don his pants before leaving the bedroom.

So, fourteen years or more have gone by. She doesn’t like to text. I’m not wild about hanging on a telephone, so together we video chat a lot. We are great at singing the first two or three bars of any songs. That’s about all we remember nowadays. We play games in the kitchen of “Do you have a ……” and go around picking out utensils we each own. We have moments of silence where we’re thinking of what to say next. It’s nothing for one of us to say, “Wait a minute. I have to go pee.” Yes, we’re using up our data, our memory, and anything else. But we don’t care. Lately, I have been banned to the bedroom because my granddaughter says I talk too loud. (She’s trying to do remote schooling while I talk to my friend.)

We are the kind of friends that get up at midnight to go to each other’s house for solace. My friend lost her husband three years ago to cancer, and together we have been working through that. We share our secrets, solve problems together, and plan dinner when we’re stuck. I help her through computer problems when she’s yelling at me. We might have different points of view regarding politics or government, but that doesn’t stop us from being close. We have many times agreed to disagree and moved on from there. We both realize that life is too short to fuss about it, even if we do on occasion.

It’s funny how our relationship is. We have had so many differences in our background, education, and careers. Yet, none of that bothers us. We are who we are. It’s in our souls that we consider. Someone unknown said, “A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.” How true that is. I bet you have a good friend with a broken fence. Do you have a tale of a good friendship? We all have many good, cherished friends, but do you have one that is truly special? Until then….. have a thoughtful Thursday, be safe, and I love you.