Is frankness between friends an important quality in a relationship?
Each and every one of us daydream. That is how I write. My palette is a blank page of white paper. I put my fingers on my keyboard and often ask myself, “What can I share today?” The point being that over the past years I have written over one thousand stories and I amaze myself I am able to pull story after story out of my head. I sit in front of my computer and daydream, my brain searching for an interesting topic and wondering what will I muse about today.
And, I have found if you think very hard about anything you come up with an answer. Today, in the wee hours of the early morning, I suddenly smiled. I had my story…the ability to be a frank woman after 50.
Reconnecting
A few years ago, my Ultimate Concierge, my late pooch Orchid and I were at our home in Rancho Mirage. Unpacked, food in the fridge, pots of orchid plants in all the rooms of our home, phones, and Wi-Fi working, which means phones were ringing and texts were coming in. One text came from a close girlfriend. We met in college when were just 18 years old.
She asked, “Are you here? Can you walk tomorrow?”
I responded, “I am here. I can walk tomorrow.”
The next morning at 8:30 a.m., we had our rendezvous. It was as though we never said goodbye when we parted six months ago for our permanent homes. The miles could not separate our friendship.
We are opposite, yet alike. She enjoys a private life away from the maddening crowd. I love the quiet of the day and night but also enjoy the roar of the maddening crowd. I live outside the box in 100 different ways; she is comfortable living sequestered in her’s though she is worldly. And, I wear my heart on my sleeve; she is tempered in who she gives her heart to. I am fortunate she has given her heart to me.
My Girlfriend’s Frankness Cast a Spell
On our walk, I was taken aback by one of her comments. Several thoughts and feelings flew through my mind; a little bit of shock, a little bit of bewilderment, and on the opposite side of the emotional wheel, I was smiling.
First, we hugged and laughed and were just two happy girlfriends. Then the conversation began.
She started, “You look wonderful. I was so worried about your surgery and your outcome. Honey, I did not know what to expect when I saw you. I was not sure you would be able to walk and look at you, you did not even lose weight through your ordeal.”
I answered, “I feel perfectly wonderful. The first time, 10 years ago, I went through cancer surgery I was terrified for over five years. This time, I am too exhausted from the first siege to worry about this siege. It is behind me, I am grateful my surgery was my supposed cure and I am living life to its fullest. And, I am doing just great. Oh! I love the scarf you sent me.”
We talked and talked about our summer, our children, our group of 10 women over 50 who met at my home monthly to discuss this passage of our lives, and just the regular chit-chat.
AND THEN SHE MADE HER FRANK STATEMENT.
She said, “I am glad you are okay because I was worried I would not have anyone to walk with.”
Talk about frankness, darling.
Laughing out loud yet somewhat shocked, I said, “You were more worried about having someone to walk with than my living?” ( I was being very dramatic, darling.)
She said, “Both.”
I again started laughing because her comment was refreshing and frank.
She had the confidence to be her authentic self. She knew that I knew she cared about me. That gave her the confidence to reveal her true feelings, to take our friendship a step beyond what it was. She exposed her selfish wish. She needed a walking partner. And. that drew me closer to her and to our friendship because: In order to build a female friendship both participants have to be frank; be their authentic selves.
The Importance of Frankness
I drove her and her sister’s dog home and then proceeded home for breakfast with my husband.
Sitting over breakfast my Ultimate Concierge and I discussed my conversation with my girlfriend and ended it with this statement.
“A close friendship is like a marriage. They work well when you are frank and authentic.”
It may be nice to share this story with your close friends and see where the conversation leads. Your friendship may grow a notch or two like mine did because my girlfriend was authentic.
Do you like or enjoy having frank friendships? Or are you yourself frank? Please share with me in the comments at the bottom of this page.
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Yes I enjoy frankness between friends but there is a difference between frankness and jealousy. I myself had a close friend who I thought was a true friend which in my book means someone who you can confide in and trust without being critizied or faulted for your personal choices but it did not end up that way. We parted ways b/c of a hurtful statement she made to me and many other statements that I let slip by without reacting b/c they were always made while she was under the influence of alcohol. I finally had enough and not feeling that her friendship was honest I said to her when you are sober I love to have conversations with you but when you are under the influence of alcohol I am not interested in having those conversations where you are not able to reason or even be a kind and considerate friend so until then we are no longer going to communicate. It has been 3 months and we have not connected and as much as I miss her sober self I don’t miss the person who she was while intoxicated . You know the old saying don’t try to talk to someone while they are intoxicated it’s wasted breath, well that’s so true so I have pulled away in order to save myself.
it was not easy to do and it is not easy now , and in my opinion you took the right path. Hang in. Warmly, Honey