If I remember correctly, I have had about 5 best friends in my life. My very first best friend I made when I was about 8 years old. Her name was Daniela and she was 1 year younger than me and my neighbor. I think I befriended her during a time when I was a newcomer to the town we had moved to and she was one of the only children who welcomed me. We had many of the same interests, including cats, dogs, Barbie dolls and many of our afternoons were spent dragging luggage sized bags filled with dolls, stuffed animals, and “My little Pony”-s to each other’s homes for hour-long play dates. My next best friend Melanie, was a classmate whom I hung out with mainly throughout 5th and 6th grade. Together we explored our first boy interests and talked about dating, clothes, and other preteen stuff. My next best friend, Jessica, I met during my first week in 7th grade, which was at a new school. She approached me when she saw me wear my brand new Michael Jackson T-Shirt that I had bought at a concert of his Dangerous Tour in Germany. It turned out we were both huge fans and I guess it was because of our common interest that we instantly bonded. We stayed best friend for 4 years until we graduated 10th grade and I moved to yet another school. I think it was with Jessica that I had most memorable moments of my youth, likely because we were friends during most of our teenage years and therefore experienced and talked about many firsts together: First boyfriends, first dates, first time going out dancing, first time trying a cigarette (and I’m glad to say, it stopped with “trying” a cigarette. I never again touched one thereafter), etc. Next in line was a friend that I grew very close to in my mid-twenties, when I actually thought that having been married for 5 years already I was way beyond the need of a best friend. Her name was Migna and she became my best friend after our husbands deployed to Iraq for a year. At the time I was pregnant with my second baby and losing my mind over whether I would be able to do everything by myself: the birth, the nightly wake-ups with the baby, taking care of my Kindergartener who still had to go to school, etc. My biggest concern was having someone to care for my 5-year old while I was in the hospital giving birth (and for after-care as well). My friend quickly convinced a neighbor to watch my son for me on the day of the birth and took me to the hospital. She stayed with me during the birth and even videotaped the event for my husband to watch after his return from Iraq. After my second son was born, she offered her help and visited me every day to tend to me and the baby. She even offered me to stay with her and her children for a few weeks after I found out that my husband would not be returning early (as we had anticipated) but would end up staying for a few months longer. Unfortunately, because of military relocation we lost contact over the past few years. My final “best” friend, who lives close to me now, is Ireen, whom I have known for almost 9 years. We met back in Germany, where she grew up as well and our families spent lots of time together for the 2 years that our husbands were stationed in Germany together. Ireen and her husband ended up leaving the military life behind and moved stateside to start new careers. For the next 6 years, we were only in touch by phone and but we remained very close friends during the time that my husband was deployed. When my husband and I moved stateside, we knew that we wanted to leave the military as well, and since my friend and I were still in contact her husband offered us all the help he could give to find work and make the transition out of the military a smooth one. I’m happy to say that everything worked out great and our life is enjoyable because we have such great friends living close by. Looking back I am actually surprised to say that in my nearly 30 years alive, I have only had 5 best friends. For me, close relationships with special people have always been more important than numerous friendships with many different individuals. Although I have many close friends from all walks of life and many different cultures that I have been lucky enough to meet during our many years in the military, there have only been a small (but significant) bunch that I can truly say I trusted, formed close bonds with, and whose presence was truly enjoyable.