What would a woman do without her friends?

I never really had a best friend, I was always a loner and loved it, still do, but now that I’ve turned 40 (yes, it took me 40 years) I get to know the value, joy, love, and laughter there is in having a best friend or three.

It was really tuff moving to a ‘plattelandse’ small town after growing up and working in the city with its high glass buildings and very important CEO’s. With luxurious shopping malls just around the corner; with all the comforts just a short drive away, but it was such an empty live. There was never time for a quick…or long coffee, and chat with a friend. Your best friends were your colleagues that work with you, and most of the time they didn’t even know where you live or how the inside of your home looks.

It took a while, but now, after we have gotten used to the slow life of the ‘platteland’, we have time to get to know people, the real people, not just the fancy cars, fancy dressed kids and presentations you see at work, but the actual people. You become part of their lives, and things like movie nights, braais that go on till sunrise and long coffee breaks in the afternoon, are what it is all about.

The best part of making and having real friends is the deep conversations. We talk about real problems and also try to solve them. We laugh at one another’s jokes, and silly moments and we appreciate each one’s “funny’s”. We accept the other person exactly how she is because, in the end, we are friends because we are the same. We feel the same about how we raise our children, what kind of food we eat, and how we decorate our homes. Our passions are the same, and we can share our heartache without feeling judged or ashamed.

Even when we don’t see each other for more than 14 days we still talk as if we spoke yesterday.

That is what friends are for….for fun, laughter, love, and heartache.