This week I’d planned to share some of my favorite “things,” but instead I thought I’d  share some of my favorite people: Two women who’ve come into my life in the last ten years who are now among my most cherished friends, and I caught up with both of them last week in New York City.

“If I murdered someone, she’s the person I’d call to help me drag the corpse across the living room floor.” From Sandra Oh’s character, Christina Yang, in Grey’s Anatomy.

Don’t you love it? Louis Vuitton’s NYC flagship store is under renovation, and they’ve covered the construction site in classic LV luggage complete with their signature locks and chrome-plated, laser-cut steel hardware. The largest handle on the building weights 5,000 pounds!

One of the women I met ten years ago while we were waiting for the light to change on the corner of 50^th and Lexington in New York City. While we waited, I noticed she was wearing a lymphedema sleeve, which told me she’d probably had breast cancer like me. I remember smiling and holding my arm up so she could see I was wearing the same compression sleeve, which started a conversation as we kept walking in the same direction. Since our “introduction” was on such a personal level, we skipped the usual get-to-know-you chit chat and agreed to meet later for a glass of wine, which turned into dinner and the beginnings of a treasured friendship. Since then, we’ve traveled together, and we continue to be amazed by all the things we have in common. Our similarities range from profound and scary—those will remain our secrets—to the weird and even trivial, like we each own the same three obscure purses. Our life experiences resonate on such a level that we affectionately call one another “Dop” as in we’re one another’s doppelgänger.

The second woman I met at a week-long writers’ retreat where we spent a lot of time reading our work aloud and commenting on one another’s writing. All of us had written about intimate things most people didn’t know about us. I’ve never bonded with a group of women I didn’t know as quickly as I did with them, and we will be friends forever.

What is happening to me? I’ve never been a jewelry girl. Just cameras. Now I’m falling in love with pieces I can’t afford unless I win the lottery! I asked one of my girlfriends if she thought this necklace would go with blue jeans? “Yes,” she said. “It will go great with blue jeans and a bodyguard.”

A couple of years ago I introduced the women to one another, and last week, we all got together and trooped from one end of the city to the other, attended a private trunk show, shopped for purses and jewelry, ate fabulous food, and speculated about whether the guy at the next table was really Harry Styles. But least you think we have superficial relationships, our conversations are deep and meaningful. More importantly, we’re supportive of one another.

They don’t know it, but they’re the ones I would call to help me drag the corpse across the floor, and I hope they would call me to do the same thing. 

Snazzy entrance to my hotel room.

When we reach a certain age, many of us have decided we have all the friends we need so we don’t think about making new friends. Then there are those who would love to have more friends, but we don’t know where to start. The older we get, the harder it is to form real and lasting friendships. Plus it’s difficult to trust someone new to the point where we share our stories and the most sacred parts of our lives. 

I don’t have the magic formula for how to meet new friends, but the relationships with the two women I’ve told you about are examples of why we might think about extending ourselves more. Why we shouldn’t be afraid to say “hello” to a stranger, or to open our heart to someone new. 

Really great women friendships are rare. Don’t be afraid to discover a new one.