Friendship that Survives the Test of Time

By Theresa Anthony

When my two oldest friends – friends since the 7^th grade – and I hatched a plan to meet up in Costa Rica for a girl’s trip, it was pretty much a pipe dream. How could the three of us, who now live thousands of miles apart, make it happen? That we were even able to pull it all together was a miracle in itself, and definitely a sign that this trip was meant to be.

There is nothing like the soothing balm that only a long-term friendship can provide, that easy familiarity that comes from lives lived in tandem for decades. Together we traversed through the gawky junior high school years and into high school where we three blossomed into young women. We knew each other’s parents, siblings, and pets, spent copious amounts of time in each other’s homes, eventually coming of age and entering adulthood together.

Over the decades, we faithfully kept our connection alive, dipping in and out of each other’s lives on a regular basis. Although we might have taken vastly different roads in our adult years, we were always there for each other, having each other’s backs and offering love and support through life’s ups and downs.

The older I get, the more apparent it becomes that friendship is as important to wellbeing as food, water, and oxygen. This trip we recently took to Costa Rica further underscored that fact. Spending those days together in that magical place was edifying in every possible way. Glorious sunsets and pristine beaches, delicious meals, lazy mornings reclining in hammocks, road trip adventures, and languishing in the pool filled us to the brim with a sense of deep appreciation for this incredible experience - and for each other.

What makes our friendship special is its pure honesty. When we're together, we are real. There are no pretenses of any kind because deep down we still see each other as those goofy adolescents. We are just as comfortable sharing about a painful experience, and expressing the intense emotions that accompanied it, as we are laughing about our shenanigans in those days gone by. No matter what the topic, mostly we just bask in the comfort of our shared history like a pair of old slippers.

By the time women hit this phase of life, we’ve certainly accumulated our share of war wounds. Because of this, a “girl’s trip” at our age is completely different from one we might have experienced in our twenties or thirties. At this ripe age, our Costa Rica trip was rich and meaningful in ways we could have never known in our 30s. Indeed, with age comes an awareness of mortality, causing us to embrace and cherish each moment spent together.

Although we wiled away those sunny days creating a whole new crop of memories, we were ever so mindful that our time together was precious. On the last day of the trip, there was an unspoken knowledge that this might be the last time we'd all three be together in the same place again.

Lifelong friendships are built strong for a reason. We three can attest to that, having experienced firsthand the many times we’d leaned on each other through the hard things – the losses, the health issues, and the various challenges life has thrown at us. All of those experiences are now woven into the rich tapestry of our time here together on earth. A friendship like ours, nurtured and strengthened over a lifetime, proves the old adage that you really do reap what you sow.

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