tiny teddy bears

Once upon a time, I was a chubby little redhead entering the third grade. I had a surplus of Capri pants and an unhealthy fear of getting in trouble. I sat next to a brunette with crooked teeth, pink Merrel shoes and so much musical talent it practically leaked out of her ears.

Our first playdate (wow, it's been a long time since I used that word) was sometime during the fall of 2004. I went over her house, climbed her sturdy scarlet tree house, drank lemonade and made a snow globe out of glitter, red plastic beads, a heart-shaped glass jar and a little silver teddy bear.

Apparently, tiny teddy bears form bonds that cannot be broken, because immediately thereafter we became best friends and proceeded to draw each other pictures nearly every day for the rest of the third grade. My favorite is still taped up on my bedroom wall--a rose drawn in Sharpie with T E S S carefully scripted beside it.

We went through phases as our friendship matured--in fifth grade, it was writing cheesy romance stories at recess and using studded shoulder bags. In seventh, it was bat mitzvahs. Now, it's apples with peanut butter, life lessons learned from English class, guys and constant sleep deprivation.

We finish each other's sentences and complain about life and share secrets, clothes and families. I trust her more than I trust anyone else I know, and she understands me, even when I don't make sense. She assures me I'm not totally whacked whenever I feel like my emotions are getting the best of me and always there to pull me out of my chronic low self-esteem attacks. We can be weird--and I mean W.E.I.R.D.--around each other, we can be stupid and loud and crazy and three seconds later start discussing our future careers and physcoanyalzing ourselves and our friends.

I never have to try with her. I never have to worry about being offensive or looking gross or acting bizarre.

I say I love my friends pretty much every day, and I mean it with all of my heart. But the friend who gets me best is the one and only M&M. Laaaave ya girl.