Thoughts About Friendship

First some "me" time (Monday/Tuesday), now a girls' evening out. This never happens in the same quarter, much less the same week. Anyway, my friend, Renee, invited me out for coffee. We spent the next couple of hours just chatting away. Even though we're at very different stages of our lives, we're somewhat kindred spirits, I think.

She's young (mid-20's), single, in her first real professional job...I'm not-so-young, married, a stay-home mom. Yet we both have a BA in Communications from the same alma mater, neither of us knows what we want to be when we grow up, and we're both considering returning to night school to get a teaching degree.

I can completely relate to her hopes, dreams and disappointments even though I'm a decade and a half older. Am I young at heart or immature for my age? Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason why we bond with the people that we do.
Take ~D, for example. She's married to my hubby's dear friend. Is that why she and I hit it off? No, hubby has other friends whose wives I just don't get. With ~D, it's her sense of humor (somewhat twisted at times), her love for her family, the fact that she doesn't try to make it all look easy...but most of all, she puts up no pretenses. What you see is what you get. Is it always pretty? Perhaps not, but always refreshing, always welcome.

With Renee, she seems a bit like I imagine I might've been at age 25, had I not made some really stupid, boneheaded mistakes. Plus she's fun. I've encouraged her to start a blog of her own. If she does, I'll add a link to my sidebar.

Then there are other 'friendships' that are harder to explain. Maybe it's an email buddy in another state who offers the best advice (and sends the funniest off-color jokes). Maybe it's the fellow blogger who just seems to *get it* (whatever "it" may be - hi Jules!). I don't get mushy often, but here's a big hug to my friends near and far.