The Importance of Frankness Between Friends After 50

By Susan “Honey” Good

Each and every one of us daydreams. 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?

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

My ultimate concierge, Orchid and I are now 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 are ringing and texts are coming in. One text came from a close girlfriend. We met in college when were 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. 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

Yesterday on our walk, I was taken aback by one of her comments. Several thoughts and feelings flow 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.

HER: “You look wonderful. I was so worried about your surgery and your outcome. 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.”

ME: “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. 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 meet at my home monthly to discuss this passage of our lives, and just the regular chit-chat.

AND THEN SHE MADE HER FRANK STATEMENT.

HER: “I am glad you are OK because I was worried I would not have anyone to walk with.”

Talk about frankness, darlings.

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, darlings.)

HER: “Both. ”

I again started laughing yet again thinking hard 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 darlings, 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.

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”