The beauty of unlikely friendships

[bridie69]

Hi
this struck me recently. I know most friendships are naturally within peer group and gender, but it is to my mind even more life-affirming when they are outside it. My DB for example was close friends with one of his university tutors, a lady who must have been 50 years his senior, until she sadly recently died in her 90s. They always exchanged letters and cards and he would visit her when back in the city where she still lived. I also heard from a friend who does some charity work for a befriending organisation for the elderly. I think she finds it more rewarding than anything else she does just about. My friend in Ireland has a couple of local pals he looks in on and plays cards weekly with who are 80 plus, it just really reaffirms my faith in humanity when I think about all of this

its funny where friends come from isn't it? have the same ... unexpected and very rewarding friendships from the oddest of places. University tutor, the wife of my language teacher, whom I only met after 4 years of lessons from her husband in this country, someone from a motorcycle maintenance course ... weird how it works!

Our closest friends are a couple almost half our age, DH met the guy through a mutual interest and now we meet up with them and our kids are really close (we're older parents) and a couple 15 years older than us who we met at a kids activity, they were there with their grandkids and we had taken DD. I've never really got the whole peer group thing and tend to choose my friends based on shared interests or the connection I feel with them. I haven't kept in touch with anyone from school and prefer to spend time with people I'm drawn to regardless of age or background.

I am 33 and one of my closest friends just turned 60 :)

One of my best friends & godmother to my pfb was actually the ex of my ex.He was an awful bastard she was with him for years & when they broke up I started going out with him. It lasted a year, he was horrible, violent & a bully. Oh yeah and a cheat.... He was trying to get back with her ( she was having none of it !) he drove me so crazy in the end I contacted her to see what she had to say as I felt I was going mad. We met for a drink but ended up out till the early hours, dancing & laughing!!! That was that - friends for life!! She is 15yrs older than me.

For her birthday that year I got her s little wooden doll and inside it I put "from every thorn, delightful roses grow'.

I can never regret meeting that asshole because I got an amazing friend because of it

I totally agree.

When I wa 18, Igot a summer job and met a man on holiday with his nan. I ended up walking her dog and we became friends until she dies. We used to write to each other when I went to university.

Another time I made friends with the girlfriend of my landlord. She is now my surrogate mum.

Funny how things work out x