Good friends are the ultimate external hard drives: they enhance your memory.
I remember a lot, but there’s also way too much that’s slipped through the cracks over the years. Yet when I’m with the friends who really shared my life at various points, everything comes rushing back like no time passed at all.
For 6th grade through high school reminiscing, there’s no one like Temperance. Our friendship started rocky, with her shaking me down for my Capri-Sun juice pouches, but by 11th grade we were roommates, and there for each other’s every drama, obsession, and late night punchy cram session.
Temperance, by the way, is not at all her real name, but given what I’m about to insert into this post, I’m hoping to subliminally help her restrain herself from killing me. Yep, this is where I do what I promise in the title of my post, and court death:
Personally, I think it’s quite flattering to both of us, but she’s a highly esteemed professional now, and might not be thrilled about an on-the-net pic of her with a tampon up her nose and a maxipad on her forehead. Love ya’, Temp!
If it’s college and my 20’s it’s all about Patches. Not her name either, though it was her name for the way cool murder mystery business we ran for years, Dial Us for Murder. I was Mittens. The picture below, however, is something different entirely:
Yup, that’s right. We’re Supergrover and Dr. Bob. And we were hot.
No really, we were. We were in giant fur suits, sweating like freaks as we paraded down the wrong Halloween street party (Hollywood is so not the same as West Hollywood) and barely skirted a riot.
Since my daughter started preschool three years ago, she has done me the incredible favor of growing particularly close with kids whose parents I love. I have a circle of “mommy-friends” now with whom I can and do talk about anything, and who I bet many many years from now will still be my touchstones for this incredible time when my daughter (now nearly 6) is young and just starting to come into her own.
Do you have certain friends who hold the key to specific periods in your life? Tell me about them — I’d love to hear the stories!
Words fail me. Debutante Ball Monday am post WIN.
KIM
Love the photos! My kids have introduced me to a whole new group of friends as well, and it’s great to be able to share this part of my life with them. I think some friendships may only last a season, some are for forever, but they’re all for a reason.
Those pics made my day! 🙂 I echo what Sarah P. says about friendship–they’re all for a reason. xoxo
You are brave. It’s been amazing to watch my children and their friends grow up together (and sometimes apart). What a fantastic journey it is!!
A former deb asked me how the new debs are. I told her they didn’t make me feel funny or interesting like the old ones.
Could just be that I’m over the hill, (the view’s nice!).
Oh my gosh. I hope that dear Temperance takes today’s post in stride, because that was hilarious.
I can only imagine what you must do at Halloween! 😀
I laughed so hard at that first pic that I almost spilled my water. Classic!
Tawna
Kim — You did say you have a daughter who loves Grover — that might be a costume plan for her!
Sarah P. and Sarah J. — Very true. Even brief friendships can have a profound impact.
Greg — My daughter and her “oldest” friend have been close since they were both 3: half their lives. They’re together at a school that goes through 12th grade, and I’m so curious to see if they’ll remain in each other’s circles that whole time.
Jen — Have yet to hear from Temperance on the post, but she does know I’ve had the pic on display in my house for the past 9 years, and so far she’s been amused. Fingers crossed…
Larramie — For years my dream Halloween costume has been me as Brett Somers and my husband as Charles Nelson Reilly. Maybe this year…
Tawna — Literally spilled your water, or are we talking comic incontinence? Either way, I love it!