As a confirmed single person, my friendships are my children, my hobby, my husband, my pets, my lawn, and my garden. My oldest friend and I just spent a couple of days together and it was a much-needed boost for us both. We were up all night laughing as if we were still 10.

Tell me about your friends!

You're just trying to boost your post count to catch up with DM!

My best friend doesn't live close to me either. We talk on the phone a lot, email a lot, and see each other when we can. We can argue with each other over the silliest things, and when we do, we hang up laughing like it never happened. We can disagree, but still remain friends. We don't try to force each other to have the same opinion about something, what would be the point in that? Bor-ing!

We always have fun together, no matter what. We laugh, we cry, we scream, we dance (oh yes!), we are soul mates. That's what counts! In the end, each of us would stop whatever we were doing and go help the other...no questions asked.

She's the best.

I feel so blessed to have my friends.... We have a group of friends that meet for coffee every other wk, and I have a great relationship w/each one of them. One of my dearest friends is like a sister to me... *only we don't have the priviledge of having fought a ton while growing up*.

We tell each other everything and laugh and cry together... I have another dear friend that I am also extremely close to.... We don't have to work at our relationship at all... It just "IS"...

I feel so lucky to have wonderful, strong women in my life who aren't afraid to show their emotions or tell me to my face that the outfit I just came out of the dressing room is totally NOT ME!..

My bestest friend is my DD.....

Oh, and I have a "unique" relationship w/another friend, who totally gets me. She has taught me that I can be ME and not have to explain it... She also makes me see that there is a great big world out there and to embrace it.... She knows I know that she knows who she is.... Huh?????

It's funny, but I never realized that my friends are compartmentalized. Depending on my mood, or need - I might go to a particular one. My sister and my DH are my all around friends that I want to talk to no matter what - everyone else seems to have a special purpose.

My best friend is my honey Michael He and I met June 18th, 1999, and have never spent a single day apart in all that time. I was already into my 6th year of rsd, and he was in his 6th year of aids/HepC (I have aids too now, but that's a different story for another thread, lol) We looked into each others eyes, and that was it. The intensity scared the bejesus outta me!

As for other friends, I have none, due to being a Navy wife and transfering every year. After that, I ran around the country trying to find medical help for the rsd. Back then it was little understood, and even less well treated. But don't think I need pity or feel sorry for myself, I do not. I have Michael, God, two grown sons and two great cats to keep me company

and they left my life, one by one, after my injury and the years of wicked bad chronic pain that came after that. you know how they do. it's so hard for them to understand what you're going through, why you don't show up anymore, or with a smile on your face. doesn't mean it's personal (well sometimes it is, and it always feels that way, truth be told!).

but it took decades to diagnose me and by then the husband was long gone, the girlfriends were goner, and i had lost my ability to work so no social life either. perfect isolation for the loner personality! (yeah, like the chronic pain monster doesn't separate us enough anyways as one of its ploys...) what a set up! i fell neatly into it.

i'm sure the anger, self-pity and depression i felt did nothing for my already prickly personality. (i still think the family could have been a little more understanding, but they all live in a different state, with busy lives and problems of their own, so it's not like they were here to see the day-to-day struggle or how miserable things really had gotten for me...)

but then i found braintalk, and after "the big crash" i wended my way over to the TOS forum at neurotalk eventually. the people i've met there are my friends today.

i've never had any finer.

and my wonderful daughter chelsea, who's never ever left my side.

can't forget her!

she's in the will.

hey amn...i want to be single like you and have a husband. where do i sign up? do you have to do his laundry?

No, sweetie, he does mine! When I go around the country, my friends always offer, but I just can't do that to them... yet.

i'd do your laundry amn. guess i haven't warned ya....i'm one of those weirdo clean freaks.

Too funny, we have that in common; I don't want your germs on my clothes!