Call a Friend Today

Do you remember your first best friend? Mine was Diane DiGasso. We were both eleven years old when she moved into my neighborhood with her mother, siblings and new stepfather right after her parents got divorced. We bonded instantly over commonalities such as sweaty hands, curly hair and a growing interest in boys. Over the years we've shared much of our lives together-from double dates to college escapades and then on to careers, marriages, divorces (hers), child decisions, pets...well you get the picture. We've lived on opposite ends of the U.S. now for the last twenty years, but when we talk or see each other, we pick up right where we left off as if no time has passed-as if we're still eleven year old girls chatting on the phone about nothing and everything.

Friends form a unique bond that is different from family. They share secrets and dreams that family may never understand or support. And unlike family, you get to pick your friends! My friend Diane couldn't pick her new father, but she could pick her new best friend...me! Who but a good friend would listen to us complain about our families!

Helen Keller once said, "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." We are not put on this earth to live alone or be alone. Countless studies have proven that social connections have a positive effect on our well-being including reducing stress, alleviating depression, and even extending life. What would happen if you lived life without any contact with other people? Chances are you wouldn't have much of a reason to stick around because friends give your life meaning. They also make it fun. Could you imagine Lucy without Ethel, Laurel without Hardy or Butch Cassidy without the Sundance Kid?

Friends nourish our soul, inside and out. Barbra Streisand once sang that the luckiest people in the world are people who need other people. I would add that they are also the richest people in the world because your life is truly rich when you have friends. Make sure you value your friends and keep friendships a part of your life. So, go ahead...call a friend today!