Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Because You've got to have Friends

We met in the first grade, Mrs. Pulsipher’s class, she was tall, beautiful and girlie in every sense of the word, and as for me I was short, sporty and somewhat rough around the edges. As the rule states, opposites attract, we were no exception.
We carpooled together, played together about everyday and soon we achieved some common interests such as dolls, dollhouses, and sprite.
Before we began each play date we would have to determine the location, your house or mine? She would always ask, “Outside or inside?” I don’t know why she would bother to ask, my reply was annoyingly consistent, “Your house, outside.” I knew perfectly well her preference was the opposite. On occasion she would win the argument, I’d stroll my dolly to her house, of course she always met me half way, we’d play with our dolls, drink sprite and eat Mac N’ Cheese or Top Roman. I loved being at her house because my sisters didn’t live there, she loved being at my house because my sisters were there.
Carissa, throughout most of our years together, was an only child; yet over time the lines between friend and sister became blurred. I would go on trips with her family; her home was my second home. She would come to Bear Lake with my family each summer. I was her sister and she was mine. Even my own sisters adopted her as such.

In the 6th grade she moved about 30 minutes away. I was devastated; it felt as if a member of my family was plucked out of my home and placed in another city. My mom promised she would drive me to her home as much as possible. She kept her promise. Later my family moved, which made our commute just 15 minutes. Now we are about two hours away, yet with families and responsibilities of our own the miles aren’t the only distance between us. Our visits are few and far between. A random phone call, an email and a text highlighting an inappropriate quote from a movie keep us together. Though our lives have grown in their own different direction we still know at any given moment we could call the other and cry. To have such a friend, is a rare gift.
Yet sometimes I wish we were still kids sipping sprite, watching movies and making one decision, outside or inside.
Write on Edge,  thanks again for your inspiration. The picture above is of our daughters at the zoo.

12 comments :

  1. I love how you travel time in your story, back and into the present. It's amazing how our lives keep us from friends. Sometimes its nice just knowing they're there.

    But sometimes its nice to have a glass of wine together too! :)

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  2. Ah, yes, that kind of friendship is truly a rare gift! I love your last line. :-)

    Visiting from WOE!

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  3. So beautifully written! This paragraph said it so much better than I did:

    "Carissa, throughout most of our years together, was an only child; yet over time the lines between friend and sister became blurred. I would go on trips with her family; her home was my second home. She would come to Bear Lake with my family each summer. I was her sister and she was mine. Even my own sisters adopted her as such."

    My best friend and I had the same relationship, except switched. I was the only child and she had 2 older brothers. LOL I love the way you described it! This is a wonderful tribute to your best friend. :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, your comment made my day.

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  4. Love this. Everyone should have a friend like that!

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  5. A wonderful and sweet post. So heartfelt!

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  6. how lucky you are that your mom kept her word and that you guys were able to remain friends. sometimes even the smallest of distances seems like worlds apart when you're a kid.

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  7. So sweet. I also loved the simplicity of friendship as kids, but it sounds like you both know you're still connected. This is so important.
    Came from the WOE link.

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  8. Love "inside or outside"! Yes, life gets in the way of the constant contact we wish to have with certain friends. When my kids were young, the moms of their friends became mine (three are still my closest day-to-day friends). Then there's the friend that's not a daily friend but what makes her special and more valued it that you can call her at any time with news of joy or sadness and she's right there! Lucky you. Beautiful post.

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  9. What a lovely tribute to your friendship. I'm an only child too but oddly I seem to only have friends that are only children too...

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  10. Saw you on Write on Edge.
    Your sentence brillantly summed it up:
    "Now we are about two hours away, yet with families and responsibilities of our own the miles aren’t the only distance between us."

    It is a gem of a friendship that grows out of childhood. -Ellen

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  11. I love you

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