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What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from the person you’re the closest to?
Since this is about bff’s (best friend forever) I am going to write about my earliest and longest best friend friendship, Teri. I learned so much from our friendship, but the most important lesson was to live free, be free and poke at the restrictions that surround you in life. When we were adolescents we were quite a pair, full of vim, vigor and vinegar. The things that we did together and all of it cemented our bond; from running away together, running around the neighborhood together, spending hours on the phone, commuting to school together, taking her grandfather’s car for a joyride together. Yes we were crazy teenager’s and we got in trouble, but we stuck together and sowed our wild oats together.
Before Teri, I was more or less a shy, scared child, very insecure and really scared of confrontation and extremely studious. My teachers all loved me, but I couldn’t bear all of the yelling at other children. Teri was and still is a confident, self assured person and she wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything. She took risks and pushed the envelope and if it didn’t work out, she paid the piper. I learned that often what scared me the most was really all in my head and nothing in reality ever came close to how bad I had imagined it. Teri and I had so much fun and we felt so safe and secure with each other, there was nothing that Teri could ever say or do that would ever change how I felt or feel about her, I cherished her friendship and cherish her friendship.
She got me out of my shell, and made me feel valued as a person and as a friend. Everyone should have a Teri in their life, someone who shakes things up a little. We never graduated to a life of crime, even though after rereading what crazy stuff we pulled, some might have thought otherwise, we did get it all out of our system. We are friends through think and thin, all for one and one for all, though we never found the third musketeer.
laurieanichols 
Teri sounds wonderful!
She was and is, she is a force to be reckoned with, that is for certain. 🙂
I am honored and speechless not only to read this but to still have my best friend in my life. Yes, we sure did do some wild and crazy things! However, I knew that I always had the ”voice of reason” to keep me in check! And Thank God because if I didn’t, I may have never been ever to fulfill my dream of becoming a cop! I also knew, that if I could not find something to wear I could make a call and say “hey law can I borrow your dark blue corduroy’s” and my bff was downstairs with them! Or, the 10 AM wake up call in the summer…”hey how much money do you have? Want to go to Steve’s and get a hero?” A good day was when we had enough money left over to buy powdered donuts! One day that will forever and always stay in my memories is a particular Tuesday of Easter vacation. I vividly remember chasing some of the guys on the block with bottles of alcohol that we were “sampling” I truly don’t know how I survived the wrath of my grandfather. I could go on and on with many, MANY stories some hilarious, some serious , and some sad. But, I once remember playing a song for my BFF a few days before I moved and it still stands true…
I can’t remember when you weren’t there
When I didn’t care for anyone but you
I swear, we’ve been through everything there is
Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed
Can’t imagine anything the two of us can’t do
Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you, through the years
I’ve never been afraid, I’ve loved the life we’ve made
And I’m so glad I’ve stayed, right here with you
Through the years
I can’t remember what I used to do
Who I trusted, who I listened to before
I swear, you’ve taught me everything I know
Can’t imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me, I need you more and more
Through the years, through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had, I’ve always been so glad
To be with you, through the years
It’s better every day, you’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years
Through the years, when everything went wrong
Together we were strong, I know that I belong
Right here with you, through the years
I never had a doubt, we’d always work things out
I’ve learned what love’s about, by loving you
Through the years
Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You’ve turned my life around, the sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you, through the years
It’s better every day, you’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years
I Know that it’s a little corny and the song is about a man and a woman but the words also fits our friendship.
I feel so blessed to have grown up in the era I did. An era where friends were really friends, bullyism was taken care of after school and everyone became friends after the “fight”, playing ring-a-lario down the block and in the alley ways was safe, and mostly, I grew up with culture and values.
Thank you Laurie for always being my BFF and I am so glad I named my first born daughter in honor of my BFF!
Love you….
That is our song, as I am wiping my eyes, we were lucky to have grown up before the internet. Remember when you came up with “the Statue of Liberty is a whore” I said “Why?” You said “Cause everyone comes inside her” I’ll never forget that for as long as I live! The most important part of our friendship, I think, is the absolute safety and trust between us and the fact that no matter what;, time can’t and won’t change, erase or diminish what exists between us. We are and always will be solid bff’s. That you can count on.