Best Friends in Paris

My closest friend, Shardie, and I had an AHA moment in Paris!  

 

Here it is — Women of a Certain Age are not SELFIE material.   

 

This is what we discovered when the two of us headed out to wait for the moment when the world’s most recognizable tourist attraction, the Eiffel Tower, transforms with breathtaking splendor into a dazzling light show. This happens when it gets really dark for just five minutes every hour on the hour.

 

 

We were in the company of hundreds of other tourists. Many of them were young people, who as soon as the 20,000 light bulbs adorning the iron lady began to twinkle like diamonds in the sky, scrambled to pose perfectly and prettily for all the pictures, videos and selfies they could get on their smart phones in five minutes!  With much less experience at doing this and also feeling the pressure, Shardie and I too began madly snapping away.

 

All we wanted was ONE good selfie! One good photo of the two of us together celebrating in Paris that we have been each other’s closest and dearest friend for almost 50 years, ever since we first met in high school.

 

Instead this is what happened. We took a picture. It was awful. Delete!

 

Another. Worse! Delete!

 

Then we just started laughing.  And clicking. Laughing and clicking. Click click, click. 

 

 

 

And so, we won’t win any beauty contests, and we certainly did not instantly post them to Facebook or Instagram like everyone else seem to be doing but in hindsight, I love the pictures, these two in particular.

This is who we are. Two friends who have been through thick and thin together. We have not always lived near each other. There were years where we were too busy with our individual lives to see or talk to each other except maybe once a year. But it didn’t matter. We just picked up where we left off. We always were and continue to be there for one another and we always, always find something to laugh about.  Often to the point of hilarity.

 

I don’t know exactly know when we started to look like each other. People now stop us regularly to ask if we are sisters. Yes, I say, in a past life. 

 

 

But it makes me realize that as we-women get older, our close friends become more important and precious to us.

 

So Paris may be the city of romance, but being in Paris with a good friend — well it’s really the most fun of all,  and as the French say, “c’est un cadeau” — it’s a gift! 

 

Send me your comments! Have you travelled with your BF to Paris or elsewhere?