It takes two to make a friendship work

It’s time to write my first serious blog. I promise it will be funny because it is about someone who is funny, loving and so much more. As she celebrates her birthday, I want to acknowledge that she is a gift to so many people who are lucky to have her in her life. She makes me laugh, and she annoys the heck out of me sometimes, but I love her for these reasons and many more.

I met her at a class on Conflict Management in which there was a lot of CONFLICT!! Fall of 2009, to be exact. Since the focus was on just getting through the Semester, I did not really develop a strong relationship with her at that time. I did get a business card, and at a time when I barely used LinkedIn, I even added her as a contact.

Months later, sometime in the Summer of 2010, I emailed her, and was delighted to get a prompt response. Soon, we had assembled a hiking group. Our first hike resulted in her getting blisters on one foot on the way up, and on the other foot on the way down. Not to be discouraged by a small thing like blisters on both feet, she returned the following week with new shoes, plenty of band-aids and an amazing attitude! Our group of hikers disbanded over the next few months, and it was just a couple of us who showed up regularly. We developed a strong friendship while pushing each other to hike 5 plus miles every weekend.

Since then –

• We have completed two Bay 2 Breakers, one together, and one where I lost her mid-way and ran off to the end on my own (something about someone being distracted by people in a certain attire, or lack thereof, comes to mind)
• We have enjoyed family dinners at her parents’, her sister’s and my house.
• We have helped each other clean closets.
• We have embarked on several missions small and big which need a post of their own.
• We have reviewed many homes from sidewalks and provided our suggestions for improvements to no one in particular, and even gave some thought to knocking on doors to let the owners know.
• She is my accountability partner for 2014 goals, and is very proud that one has been accomplished as I write this post on MY blog.
• And so much more……..

Why do I hang out with her? Well, because –

• She put a towel on my face to keep me warm (my feet were cold, not my face).
• She made me take pictures of me wearing T-shirts she wanted to toss as proof that I am using them.
• She sends me texts with yummy food pictures when I am usually very hungry but can’t get away to get food.
• She sent me a selfie from the library holding a book I was nagging her to read, and finished reading it before I did.
• She was so excited about setting up a recurring alarm for our weekend hikes, she set them up for weekdays.
• She does not drink much but always brings enough wine to get others tipsy.
• She has asked that I keep a notebook and pen with me all times, including when I go to bed in case I dream something funny that I want to write down (I am trying to figure out how to write in my sleep).

Happy Birthday, my beautiful friend! I hope to celebrate many birthdays with you, yours and my own.