by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Created on: December 21, 2011

Every time I watch The Big Bang Theory I find it funny to see Amy refer to Penny as her "besty." Of course Amy is much more interested and unaccustomed to female friendship than Penny is, so her being a "besty" to someone who is so oblivious is what makes the situation so funny. Amy doesn’t understand that it takes more than being around someone to make them a best friend. There are people in this world who don’t understand that concept either.

The idea of a best girl friend in television and movies makes it seem as if having a friend through thick and thin is beyond compare. Sex and the City even profess that boyfriends, fiancés and husbands are disposable but best friends are for life. I don’t know if this works for people in the real world but after being around my last besty, I can’t imagine giving up anything to keep that friendship.

I've had best friends come and go throughout my life. Usually there was a situation of growing apart that caused me to sever ties. But now, thanks to social networking, I can keep in touch with my best friends from birth through my adulthood. All except one.

While youth can excuse a lot of personal quirks and hurtful actions that a friend can have, it's the adult friendships that seem to be the hardest, especially when a friend is so blatantly unfriendly. My last best friend was a girl that my high school best friend had worked with for years. We didn't like her. She was childish, ignorant, obnoxious, co-dependant and whiny. (Pretty much the same basic characteristics everyone can hold at age 17.) So when my high school best friend and I drifted apart, I hung out with different people in a close-but-not-best friend situation. Then it ended up that the girl I never liked was the only one around who wanted to go to the club, go shipping, watch movies, etc. (This is what happens when you live in a small town.) Soon after, I had a new best friend.

The characteristics she had in high school were still there but I overlooked them. I was busy at college trying to get a grasp on my own life so hearing her whine about her completely dopey boyfriends wasn't as big of a deal. We were friends through her various boyfriends while she hunted for a husband. Eventually once she found Mister Right Now she professed her love for him and decided I was her best friend and needed to be her bride's maid at the wedding six months after she met the guy.

I should have known then. Before the wedding my new best friend

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