My Best Friend(s)

I am very fortunate to have a few best friends.  One of them has been my best friend since we were five years old.  The other day one of my former students posted a link about HER best friend and as I read the piece I thought about best friends and how important they are.  I aged a few of the responses....because at 61 life is different than life at 18....even though much of this was true even then.  I can honestly say that friends are great, but best friends are even greater.  When I was young, I broke the rules and had two. I met them both when we moved into Vedado Park when I was 5.  Back in the day one was the rule for how many best friends you could have, right? In the 56 years that have followed I have also gathered a few more along this road called “life.”  It’s probably because as we get older, we change and go through different experiences that can only be felt on a deeper level through connection with others.  I love my best friends and couldn’t imagine my life without them. Here’s why(Number 17 is my favorite):
1. A friend will tell you you’re looking like Beyoncé. A best friend will tell you when you’re looking more like Amanda Bynes and should maybe reconsider that outfit.
2. A friend will tell you your new boyfriend is okay. A best friend will tell you your new boyfriend is complete jerk and you can do better, all while putting up with him.
3. A friend will ask you to go out to the club. A best friend will ask you to order a pizza for a family of four and binge watch HGTV on a Friday night.
4. A friend will laugh at your jokes. A best friend will complement your jokes with reciprocated witty banter and make you both wonder why you don’t have a reality show yet.
5. A friend is temporary. A best friend is forever, especially since she already knows too much.
6. A friend will give a guy an evil stare down to have him move away from you. A best friend will pretend to be your lesbian lover at the club so the guy can really take a hint.
7. A friend will choose who, where and when to be seen with you. A best friend realizes you’re as weird as people get and still takes you out in public.
8. A friend will buy you food. A best friend will eat your food and say it’s for your own good.
9. A friend will ask why you are crying. A best friend is ready to plot revenge on whoever caused your tears.
10. A friend feels like a friend. A best friend feels like a sister.
11. A friend will make you feel single. A best friend will make you feel like you found your non-romantic soulmate.
12. A friend is someone you wait to wake up. A best friend is being awoken by you with either a pillow to the face, the smell of coffee brewing, or by making enough noise to wake the dead..
13. A friend will get offended when you make fun of her. A best friend will make an even greater insult about you.
14. A friend is someone you can be mad at for awhile. A best friend is someone you can only be mad at for a few hours because something has happened and you need to let her know.
15. A friend needs to spell it out. A best friend can tell you with just a look.
16. A friend finishes your sentences. A best friend will say what you are thinking before you or at the same time.
17. A friend knows all your best stories. A best friend is part of those stories
18. A friend is someone you see often.  A best friend in someone you can go without seeing for a long period of time and once you are together it is like you have never been apart.
All in all, life is just better, more exciting and feels more complete with a best friend. I hope you all have at least one.  They make life rich and full.

             

     

Martinique hails from the Bay Area but lives in Switzerland. In 2011, she graduated with a degree in Political Science from Franklin University Switzerland. Follow the food she eats and places she sees on Instagram at: martinique89