Life Long Friends

About 2 weeks ago I had the luxury of seeing both of my college roommates in my own hometown! I hate to date myself however it is important to note that I have known these friends for more than 25 years. Holy &@^^#%*@^$*%@!!! Alice, Mary and I met freshman year at SUNY Fredonia way back in the fall of 1982. Recognizing that many of my friends weren’t even born then makes me feel old but in the words of my friend Noell…It is what it is! As much as we are very different in our own ways we are also very similar. We all came from simple homes with parents that worked hard, siblings that we love to hate and a unique energy for living that was impossible to harness. We are the same in that we work hard, love life and always try to be good. I tell people that Alice is the east coast version, Mary is the cosmo west coast version and I am the mountain version. In 25 years it would have been easy to lose touch, float apart (lord knows I tried!) or judge one another and drop the friendship. But we never did that. 5 husbands, 3 amazing kids, illnesses and death of siblings and parents, bad choices in men, bad choices in booze and still we are connected. They know me better than anyone on the planet. They knew me when I fell in love the first time and the last time. They were by my side when my marriages crashed and when Elvira left me. Every fall I get melancholy and a bit sad and it took many years for me to realize it was because I missed those days of sitting on the wall drinking beer and party’s at our house but more than anything that connection. The kind of connection that means you never really have to explain how you feel or why you feel it…they just know. When friends can be honest enough to say “you really don’t look good in that dress” or “your hair has looked the same since 6th grade!” you know you will never be alone! I am so grateful for their love and friendship!