"Will You Be My Friend?"

“What is the difference between a good friend and a best friend? A good friend knows all your stories. A best friend helps you make them.”- Unknown

I heard this quote today and it has stuck with me, swirling around in my mind as I reminisce about the myriads of experiences I have had over my life.

Very rarely alone.

Mostly with family.

But key moments in my life, turning points if you prefer, are stories that involve friends.

Best friends.

Like the time I was sixteen and thought I could drive a stick shift Mustang. I all but burnt up the engine if not the clutch, grinding gears as I went around the block. All the time while my best friend sat in the front seat encouraging me while simultaneously hiding from the sheer embarrassment of the entire experience.

I haven’t driven a clutch since.

But I’ll never forget the lesson she taught me of what true friendship should look like. Cheering on your bestie even in the worst of moments.

Or when I went to Europe for the first time, travelling to communist occupied countries and most importantly, hugging the edge of the Leaning Tower of Pisa as we ascended to the top along the outside porticos. We laughed, we screamed, we inched our way to the top before running back down at top speed to eat a pizza in the town square of Pisa.

I’m told you can no longer enter the tower.

Which, in hindsight, is probably a smart idea, even though my bestie at the time and I will never forget the sheer terror and delight of our accomplishment.

And it completely opened my eyes to the idea of international travel. Another gift.

And most recently, the intentional dates I set with my current bestie, meeting halfway between our two homes to spend the morning walking the beach, followed by a nice meal at a new restaurant. We walk, we talk, we solve all the world’s problems including our own. It’s a favorite time for me each month.

And she gives me another gift, I am able to be authentically, unapologetically myself.

And these stories that we create, they are all part of my writing process. The relationships. The conversations. The experiences. All interwoven into my life are also incorporated into my books. Perhaps that is why the quote above struck a chord with me when I heard it.

My good friends, most of my readers, all know my stories through my books.

My best friends helped me write them.