Friendships

Eighteen months ago, a sweet, quiet shy girl (henceforth known as NN) joined our team at work.  We sat at the same desk for weeks and never really said anything to each other except at lunchtime.   At lunchtime, which we both tended to have in front of our computers, we had a moment of communication only to find out what the other was having for lunch.  After which, we both went back to our respective worlds of work..and silence.

On one particular day, we surprised ourselves by extending our curiosity beyond the type of lunch we were having to how much our respective lunches cost us!  This then led on to gasps and groans about how we were both trying to save money but failing miserably and ultimately landed in a joint plan to combine our resources, shop smartly and share our lunches.

Every Monday, we would trundle off to the local supermarket, buy all the stuff we needed for the week in bulk, come back and make our healthy, easy-on-the-wallet sandwiches.  They were delicious! The added bonus was that we got away from our computers for an hour each day and we got to know each other a little more each day.

A year later, we had an addition to the lunch-time party.  She was full of life, a fighter and so funny.  We loved her instantly.  She also shared our common interest in saving money so she fitted right in and will be henceforth known as CM.

A few months after she joined, CM left us and joined another company and so ended our tri-party lunch sessions.  Fortunately we had Skype, which became the saviour of the day and we have a three-way chat window running in the background always, everyday.  Sometimes we don’t say a word for hours, other times we are discussing politics, what stresses us in life, we confess some of the deepest darkest fears we have and we feel safe.

It feels like I have bullet listed a series of events in the last 18 months, and I am sure this post comes across as mundane, but that’s the thing.  It was this mundane series of events, conversations and actions that led me to find the two most amazing women I know.

I have found a friendship that I know will last a life time, where I know I can rant and rave, cry, feel absolutely vulnerable and be able to put those feelings out there knowing full well that these two will give me a soft landing.  I can be obnoxious and there is always someone to cut me down to size, keep me humble and yet stroke my ego when I feel a little under the weather.  I can be quiet … we can be quiet together and still feel connected.

To NN & CM - My Friends For Llife!