My husband and I recently spent an evening with a dear friend. We only recently reconnected after years of separation.

We first met while working part-time during high school. We connected in many ways and not just because of work. We did not realize at first how much we had in common and may not have realized the realm of similarities until we were adults. We both loved school partially because it gave us respite from our homes. Unfortunately, both our mothers had unusual personalities and well, that is another post.

Anyway, the weekend with my friend was a reminder that some of our deepest friendships may be the ones that develop at a young age. They know or at least understand our family, and they see us in good and bad times, including the awkward teenage years. These friends share high school and college years. In many cases, these are lean financial years (at least that was the case when we were growing up). This means that friends from this time period know what it is like to just hang out and talk, eat at fast food restaurants, attend student events (i.e., FREE), and go to other cheap options. They know us without all the adult baggage, keeping up with the Jones’ syndrome I see so many adults falling into, and only attending events where there may be some payoff. Do we really make great friends in these situations? I think we can make friends through such avenues, but for the majority, these are not deep friendships.

It was great to see Tammy. We did not talk about the years of separation because at this time it is not important. We enjoyed and appreciated the present with our husbands as adult women. Reminiscing about some of the people from our high school job brought some smiles and laughter. As I look back on that Saturday evening, spending the night at her house, talking, laughing, and sharing, I realize this is what girlfriends do at all ages. However, only special friendships can pick up after a few years, add in the spouses, and carry on.