Who’s Your Best Friend?

I was making my morning blog rounds today and saw that my friend, Julie, has challenged everyone to write a post aboutWho’s Your Best Friend?. Hmmm… I think I can do that.

At my age, I’ve had bunches of friends. Most from my childhood and school years are still fondly remembered but are not in my life daily. My sisters and my cousin are dear to me. But a best friend? That’s something different.

Almost twenty years ago, the house next door to me went up for sale. The people who had lived there previously had moved and were renting it out, once to someone nice but mostly to losers. We wanted to buy it but before we could even try to get financing, we heard it had been sold. I was prepared to not like the people moving in there.

It didn’t take long, though, to get over my resentment and get to know my neighbors. Tammie and BJ were friendly and usually out in the yard, tinkering with stuff. BJ is a few years older than I am; Tammie and I are 6 months apart and we grew up in the same town. It turns out we knew a lot of the same people. It also turned out that my new new neighbors were the best I’d ever had.

Over the years I spent a lot of time at Tammie and BJ’s, drinking coffee, talking and hiding from my kids when they were getting on my nerves. Tammie has spent a lot of time here, drinking coffee, talking and hiding from her doggies.

Oh, did I mention we visit each other in our jammies? I’m sure the other neighbors think we’re crazy, walking back and forth to each other’s house’s in our night clothes.

Twenty years of coffee and talking brings people together in a slow, quiet kind of way. I’m not sure if I can even explain it. I know that Tammie was there with her strong hug when I lost my job and I returned the support when she lost hers. We’ve been there for each other through family deaths and life’s cruel jolts. Sometimes she says just what I need to hear and sometimes she just sits and listens. She knows me well enough to know just what to do. That’s a best friend.

Most important, I can tell Tammie anything. I’m not a terribly open person. Sure, I seem like an extroverted big mouth and I probably say more than I ought to in a lot of situations, but I’m very guarded about some things in my life. With Tammie, I don’t have to hold back. I can be honest and tell her everything and I know it won’t change how she sees me. I’m never afraid that she’ll think less of me because of anything I say. I can show Tammie my heart and know that she’ll understand.

I’ve had other friends over the years, some I seemingly had more in common with than Tammie. None, however, could measure up to the kind of friend that Tammie has been. Despite the normal ups and downs in my life over the past few decades, I’ve been able to hold it together and make it through, in large part because of my best friend.

I’m so fortunate to have found a best friend as an adult. I truly believe that Tammie was the blessing that my life needed, even if I didn’t think I need a friend at the time.

So, who’s your best friend? Why not jump over to Julie’s site and join her Best Friend party? Blog about your best friend then let her know. We can all have our own Best Friend Day!

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