Writing Buddy

I once had a friend send me a quote that went something like this...people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I'm sure I'm not quoting the saying exactly like it was written but you get the general idea.

This quote always pops into my head now when I meet someone. I always find myself wondering why I'm befriending such and such and if that person will be in my life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

One such friend I've been thinking of lately is my writing buddy Helen Polaski. She and I are both contributing writers for an online magazine called Garden and Hearth. I write for their gift basket business column and she writes their gift basket column (yes they are two different subjects).

Helen and I met when I posted a message on a writing board for a critique partner. She answered the call and we immediately bonded. Of course if you knew Helen, you would suspect she bonds with just about anyone but I like to think of myself as special.

One of the things I love about Helen is that she's quirky without being nuts. Like for example, she's a huge Barry Gibb fan. Like a HUGE fan. Not a BeeGee fan, mind you. But a huge Barry Gibb fan.

When she first mentioned Barry Gibb and how much she loved everything the man has ever sang, I thought she was joking. It wasn't that I didn't like him....exactly. I liked him fine as part of the BeeGees and as Andy Gibb's older brother. But Barry alone?

But that's Helen. She's quirky and kind but most of all, she doesn't take herself too seriously. She takes her writing very seriously but not in an obsessive, overbearing way some of us writers do. She seems to go with the flow and not let things bother her to the point to where she gets into a rut.

I've learned a lot from Helen since we've become friends. Besides sharing her vast amount of writing experiences with me, I've found someone who knows exactly what I'm going through with writing ups and downs. She understands rejections and acceptances and editors not responding to emails in a different way than my husband, mother, or sisters can. She knows the path I'm traveling because she's on the same trip as I am.

I can't say for sure but I hope Helen's one of my friends who is here for a lifetime. She's definitely a keeper!