old friends

I went to the ballet tonight and then out for drinks afterward with two of my best friends in Dallas, Sherri and Chandini. At 56, I’m the old lady of the group; Sherri’s 39 and Chandini has just turned 27. We joke that we’re the Dallas version of Sex and the City, and that’s actually not so far off the mark. Chandini is newly married, but Sherri and I always talk about who we’re dating or not dating and we ask each other’s advice on relationships.

A couple of light years ago, we used to work together at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. We worked for the University, in outpatient Child Psychiatry. When I was doing a psych eval and was stuck in figuring out the diagnosis, these are the women I’d consult with. I’d walk into Sherri’s or Chandini’s office with a Coke and a fresh bag of microwaved "Risperdal" popcorn (courtesy of Janssen) or some cookies and a cup of coffee and drop cross-legged to the floor, and we’d consensus what was going on with a kid or a family. Sometimes we’d consensus what might be going on with whomever each of us was dating at the time. We worked long hours for little pay, and although we didn’t love most of the docs to whom we had to report, each of us loved the kids who were our patients, and for the most part, we loved what we were doing.

Still, it was a given that we couldn’t do it forever. The University squandered us, shamelessly, until each of us moved on, but the friendship remains.

These women are my lodestar; I count on them for their humor and their wisdom; they’re whom I call when life has blindsided me, and they always help me to put my life into perspective.

Tonight we sat around and got caught up a little on each other’s lives. I thank my lucky stars for all my friendships, but especially for this one. Carole King said it so well:

When you're down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights

You just call out my name,
And you know whereever I am
I'll come running
To see you again
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, (yeah I will)
You've got a friend...

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know where ever I am I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, (yeah, yeah, yeah) You've got a friend...

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you and desert you
Well they'll take your soul if you let them
Oh yeah, but don't you let them...

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don't you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.

You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
You've got a friend.