Free Top 10 Treats of Trusty Girlfriendship by Janet Grosshandler Page A

bring up a funny
memory, or just dish the dirt that brings the mirth.
    Sasha has a true mirth machine in her girlfriend
Bets. “Bets can turn any horrible situation into one that’s not
such a huge deal in the big life picture. Her usual response when I
am obsessing over a situation that I absolutely cannot change, is,
‘What if I had 20 kids and had to move in with you?’
    Just that visual (since I live in a small city
studio apartment with a tiny shower in a closet) stops my rant cold
and we go off into all the “what ifs” we would have to contend with
to fit 22 of us in my studio. Silly, but it slows down my energy
combusting perspective and brings me back to reality.”
    Now not every situation can be solved by humor,
but some laughter always helps ease the pain.
    *
    4. Quick answerer
    With this girlfriend, there is no waiting, no
Googling.
    If you need:
    * The recipe for that vegetarian dish- your brother
and his new veggie girlfriend are stopping over unexpectedly.
    * The name of the goop she used for her baby’s
diaper rash because your baby just got a major breakout.
    * The info for the woman’s shelter ASAP to take in
your cousin who just was beat up again by her boyfriend.
    * The divorce lawyer she knows because you can’t
take your husband’s serial cheating anymore.
    The answers, exactly as you need them, come via
phone, text, email, in person or by messenger. Because your
insightful girlfriend understands you need the information NOW. She
knows you well and tells you what you need. ASAP.
    No explanations needed. No thank-you necessary.
She totally understands and gets it.
    *

    5. Mirror magic
    What you see is what you get, thank goodness, in
this girlfriend.
    With this treat you get clear vision of who and
what your girlfriend is- no game playing, no bait-and-switch
friendship.
    She is just as she seems and mirrors back to you
exactly what you expect from her: honesty, love, support, loyalty,
and dependability when all else fails.
    This is not the “call me anytime” person who
never answers your calls or texts because she got “too busy”. The
mirror magic girlfriend reflects back to you the clear vision of
goodness and love.
    *
    6. Truth serum
    No fudging, tell-it-to-me-straight girlfriends
give us the gift of truth. No exaggerating, downplaying or lying
when we really need to take off those blinders and face our
truths.
    “No I don’t think you should stay with him if he
is so verbally mean to you. Yes, that’s exactly what it is when he
screams those nasty accusations at you! Listen to me now.”
    “If you’re worried your baby might be autistic,
go for the evaluation. I’ll go with you. But you need to know for
sure. I’ll be there for you, you know that.”
    “It’s not going to be all right. Not 100%, maybe
50% for now, but it will get better, I promise.”
    Helping us face the truth no matter how much
sadness or pain it confirms is a girlfriend gift because we know
she’ll be there to prop us up through the worst of it.
    *
    7. Garbage dump
    This girlfriend makes it OK to dump any yucky
confidence or thought on her and she doesn’t flinch an eyelash.
    “Am I a bad mother if I want to run away from
home sometimes?”
    “I am so raging mad I might get violent!”
    “Whenever he touches me I want to vomit.”
    She understands your erupting or deeply
suppressed emotions for what they are- whether they be true or a
manifestation of something else wrong in your life. And this
girlfriend can take you dumping the worst on her and help you deal
with it, as you need to.
    *
    8. Comfort station
    Not the restroom but a “rest room,” this
girlfriend treat gives us the place where we can relax, chill and
soak in solace. She is a hot cup of tea when you’re shaking from
emotional chills or a fuzzy, ancient bathrobe that wraps around you
with love and comfort in your hour of need.
    “I call my best friend for 20 years - my ‘spa’,”
Jennifer said. “She’ll give me a pedicure, a glass