The Friendship Follies

Shhh . . . I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Brian and I are what I would describe as fairly good friends and writing partners. We chat, we laugh, we tease, and we give each other advice and support BUT ...

wait for it ...

Sometimes we just don't get along!

GASP! Perhaps it's hard to believe, but it is indeed true.

We discuss argue points big and little, blog related or not. We have our own opinions and we're not afraid to speak our minds. Once we had a heated disagreement about the use of the word "too." I am not making this up, we really did. I believe I won that battle, but I bet Brian would beg to differ. Recently we've had some talks about keeping up with this blog. Although we both agree on how often we should post, we vary on the amount of free time we have available to do so. In other words, I have have much more time on hand than Brian does as he is busy starting up his own consulting business. (My hubby T calls Brian the silent partner in this blogging alliance, but I sometimes call him something else, ha ha ha!)

Like characters in a movie, a TV show, or a cartoon, we tend to bounce back from our differences, work together, and remain friends in the end. That's all good. Even better is taking a close look at some famous fictional characters who, like Brian and I, sometimes seem like unlikely matches who deep down truly care for each other. Take these three good duos for example:

2. Will and Grace: To be fair, there is one notable difference between Brian and Will - Brian is not a lawyer. No, no, that's not it - he's not gay. However, Will and Grace are a quirky couple of friends. If once upon a time Brian and I were roommates, I think we would have been a lot like them. In this montage from the show, I like how Grace seeks Will's fashion advice and he doesn't hold back his thoughts. The very end of the clip cracks me up too!



3. Harry and Sally from When Harry Met Sally: If you take out the fairly tale ending to this story when Harry finally professes his undying love for Sally, Brian and I are a lot like this pair of friends from one of my favorite movies of all time. In fact, I can imagine us having a conversation just like this:

Harry Burns: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally Albright: Which one am I?
Harry Burns: You're the worst kind; you're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.
Sally Albright: I don't see that.
Harry Burns: You don't see that? Waiter, I'll begin with a house salad, but I don't want the regular dressing. I'll have the balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce on the side. "On the side" is a very big thing for you.
Sally Albright: Well, I just want it the way I want it.
Harry Burns: I know; high maintenance.

And for the record, we both disagree with the premise of the movie that men and women cannot be platonic friends - my take on the subject, and Brian's point of view.

1. Dory and Marlin from Finding Nemo: On his quest to find Nemo, Marlin meets up with Dory who joins in the search. They do not always get along swimmingly, and at one point Marlin believes he should continue his mission on his own. Of course, Dory and Marlin stick together in the end just like us.

Take 2 on Friendship - what she (that's me Sue) says about . . .

The age old question ~ Can men and women just be friends?

I say YES, but culture, society, books, movies, TV, magazine articles, and curious nosy people tend to disagree. While T is my very best guy friend, I do believe there are good things about having male friends to whom I am not married to, like my former carpool buddy Rog, the wisecrackin' gang at pulmonary rehab, or you know who - the one and only Mr. A.

2. Insight: Having a good friend of the opposite sex offers me the opportunity to see how the other side sees a situation in an objective way (without trying to read the mind of my hubby.)

3. Advice: Depending on the friend, I can solicit advice on a variety of topics such as home repair, tech issues, travel, relationships, food, and even fashion. In most cases, men will offer practical ways to fix a problem. I might not always take their advice, but it’s good to know it’s there.

1. Comic relief: Let’s be honest, men are funny beings. Sometimes funny in a make you laugh so hard you’re crying sort of way, or sometimes funny in a shake your head sort of way. Either way, it’s all good because they keep me smiling (most of the time!)

Insight, advice, and comic relief – my three good things about male/female friendships. What are yours?

** 100th post reminder! We are s-l-o-w-l-y inching are way to collecting 100 good things for our 100th post. Please share ONE good thing with us at twothreeeoneblog-good at yahoo dot com. It’s easy! Just do it!

Friends

Today I'm cheating!

Instead of sharing three good things with you, I'm sharing a little piece of writing I submitted to a blogging contest a few months back. The theme of the contest was to write about an unexpected, surprising friendship. Sadly, I didn't win the contest (boo!) But I did enjoy writing the piece, and I hope you enjoy reading it.


Like Apples and Oranges

Me and my friend Brian.

We are different in many ways.

I am married with two children. He is single, divorced three times, and not yet a dad.
I am a stay-at-home mom and sometime freelance writer. He is a web communications professional, public speaker, and voice actor.
I have a rare, chronic autoimmune disease called scleroderma. He’s in good health.
I live in the Midwest in a far western suburb of Chicago. He lives in the East, just outside of Philadelphia.
I’m Catholic. He’s Protestant.
I will eat lemon cake and orange scones. He dislikes cooked citrus.
I am short. He is tall.

But we are alike in many ways, too.

We attended the same high school in the early 1980s.
We love all kinds of music.
We offer each other words of encouragement and support.
We like to make people laugh including each other.
We pray.
We like to eat pizza, guacamole, pie, Chicago-style hot dogs, and a good cup of coffee.
We have hazel eyes.

I am surprised by this unlikely friendship because we lost touch many years ago when he moved away after our sophomore year. We reunited last fall at our 25th high school reunion, and now we frequently chat, email, or text. Sometimes, we discuss serious life issues like relationships, health, or religion. Other times, we talk about the weather, weekend plans, or what we ate for lunch that day.

Both of us face difficult challenges in our daily lives. These challenges have led us to create the 2 friends 3 things 1 blog a few months ago. The goal of our blog is two-fold: to help each other look at the positive side of life, and to inspire others to do the same.

**Which leads me to this reminder . . . our 100th blog post is coming soon! We want your help! Please send one good thing to us at the following email address: twothreeoneblog-good at yahoo dot com. Be sure to include your name, and where you are from with your email. We want to post 100 good things from our friends and fans, so email your ideas lickety-split, on the double, or just as fast as you can! You can do it! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Good Eggs!

I know what you're thinking - Oh, no! Grrrrrrn. It's another post about food.

But it's not.

It's about people. Good people. People who are friendly, helpful, and supportive. People who help me keep my health stable. People who lift my spirits each and every week.

They are good eggs! Which if you're not familiar with this old-fashioned saying means people of great standards, who have done something well, or pleased someone. Back in the day, when I would do a favor for a friend, her mom would say, "You're a good egg, Sue." At the time, I thought her compliment was kind of quirky, but somewhat endearing, too.

So my three good things for today are not things at all, but three groups of very good people!

They are the people at the hospital where I take part in an excellent pulmonary rehab program. What is pulmonary rehab? It's a place where people with lung disease like me can exercise, be educated, and find much needed support and acceptance. To me, the people of pulmonary rehab are like one big, caring extended family.

1. Top-notch medical professionals including awesome respiratory therapists (D, M, & K - you ladies rock!), nurses, and exercise physiologists. They all work together to provide a welcoming environment to all who enter the rehab department. They not only care for, they care about, all of their patients. That's a very good thing indeed!

2. My comrades-in-arms, or fellow rehab patients. We are different in many ways, but we share a common bond - lung disease. I could easily exercise on my own at home, but then I would miss out on the caring friendship and support of my fellow rehabbers. Like the RT's, they ask about you if you're not there. They listen to your latest medical woes, recommend doctors, and share coping strategies. They pray for you if you are facing a difficult situation. They make you laugh, and they are there for you if you cry.

3. The valet parking guys. Yes, these guys are good eggs, too. Since I have some limitations in my ability to walk long distances, these guys are a godsend. I don't need to worry about the weather when I can drop off my car at the entrance of the hospital, and pick it up when I'm ready to leave. They are hard-working guys who are friendly and welcoming. They greet me with a smile, and ask me how I'm doing. T says they're just so nice to me because they want a bigger tip, but I say they're well-worth it.

Three very good groups of people ~ all good eggs!