Maybe you think of trees in the summertime, cash in your wallet, or the vegetables in your fridge…the specific color of someone’s eyes, sparkling emerald jewelry, or the freshly cut grass of suburban lawns…frogs on lily pads, the lime garnish on the edge of a fancy cocktail, the neon bright traffic light urging you to go.
To this day, I associate green with my childhood best friend.
She was a tall, bright-eyed girl with the curliest brown hair, and the biggest toothy grin, just like mine. She was the pinnacle of academic excellence; a model student who was my first example of someone who was a high achiever with a love of learning and specifically, reading and writing. One fateful day in first grade, our friendship was solidified. From then on out, you could catch us running rampant with our My Little Ponies and Breyer horses, our noses in books like The Black Stallion series, or running on the playground in some crazy adventure of our own creation. Jocelyn and Kayleigh*, Best Friends. She and I had several close friends and classmates during this time, but no one else could hold the prized title, Best Friend.
* I’m going to use different names for other people I talk about, but I will use my real first name for myself (after all, we are talking about authenticity and originality here!)
Aside from the usual day-to-day interaction at school or play dates afterwards, Kay and I really enjoyed writing. There was a period where we were mailed physical letters like distant pen pals. When we were older and we didn’t see each other, for example summer break /holidays, we would spam each other’s inboxes. We wrote paragraphs in a small font, using every color and emoticon (this was before “emoji”!!), with numbered lists to keep track of our conversations, and very specific signoffs. A lot of times too, we would attach a Word document with a very descriptive intro and a short story about a beautiful horse or some other fanfic.
Kay was always more than happy to be my second set of eyes. I found an email titled “feedback on story”, where she said, “I wouldn’t remember my comments tomorrow, so here it is. I WILL be brutal (not that there’s much of anything to be brutal about).” She edited my writing, but she also was comfortable enough to tell me things like when I was getting too fixated on small interactions with the boy I fancied. So, in a way, over time she helped me to stop, think, and process my actions – in a way, gently editing me. This was a sign of our connection.
Our friendship was a safe space where we knew we could show up fully and embrace our true selves without fear of judgment. I know I had someone in my corner whether I wanted to vent about schoolwork, nerd out about horses or Harry Potter, or fantasize about said crush. I look back so fondly on our childhood friendship and having been blessed to have someone during these formative years that could encourage me to be whatever I wanted to be and reiterated that I could do whatever I set my mind to, who kept it real and showed me the true values of honesty and being yourself.
In life, I carry with me this confidence instilled by Kay’s unwavering belief in me. Her role as my childhood Best Friend, editor and cheerleader left an indelible mark on who I am today. Our shared love for imaginative pursuits, be it our horse obsession or the countless stories we penned, fostered an environment where creativity flourished without limits. It’s no coincidence that Kay became an English teacher, and I pursued a path in graphic design – a testament to the propound influence our friendship had on shaping our lives.
I reflected on the evergreen nature of our friendship, rooted in sage sagas and minted moments. As I deep dove into a pool of our old emails and my memory bank, I noticed the color green embedded throughout. We used green for our first days and fresh starts. It was a peculiar yet endearing habit. Our green-themed ritual manifested in various ways, from classroom note-taking with green pens on the first day of school to Kay’s thoughtful PowerPoint presentation when I had been on vacation and missed some of the first month of class. “Welcome Back!” it read on the first slide, which had a background color of – you guessed it – green. In an email chain with some other classmates, I was tasked with assigning roles for a group presentation. “Green is what Kay is doing”, I wrote. She used to debate her Hogwarts house too and called herself a Slytherclaw (Slytherin + Ravenclaw…by the way, where are my Hufflepuffs at??). She was definitely a Ravenclaw, but you can’t get green without blue, right?
Orchid may have been our designated color, but the essence of our connection is best encapsulated by the various shades of green that symbolize growth, encouragement, and the limitless possibilities we once explored together. Our childhood friendship was a verdant landscape that nurtured our dreams, and I carry the spirit of our bond into the uncharted territories of my creative endeavors.
As I embark on a new journey here on this blog, of course I wanted to use green. I wanted to share about my amazing childhood Best Friend who funneled my love for writing. Oh, and I planned this day to kickstart everything for a reason…
Happy Friendiversary, Kay!! Thank you for the best childhood. To many more years of supporting each other and not only reminiscing on the warm nostalgia of our childhood but creating new memories and knowing I am able to be who I am because someone believed in me.
