I know a lot of people, but I only have a few good friends. I consider hugs and professions of love sacred gestures and deeply meaningful so they are reserved for a select few.

Those of you that know me well may know that I occasionally have a mild, soft-spoken opinion about a few things. If you just fell over laughing, then you know me very well. I have a few strong opinions about what defines a true friend.

Last Friday my phone started to die. And I don’t mean die from lack of battery charge, I mean malfunction as in little green men from Mars have hijacked it and it is under their malicious control. I ended up calling my best friend Mala Poe to help me with directions to the studio location that I was headed for. I had an all-day workshop that I was teaching & my GPS wouldn’t even load and I was on the verge of being late. For me, late is synonymous with not giving a rats ass about others people’s time, so I hate being late! My phone crashed twice during our conversation. I lost all texting ability as well. I was really starting to panic and I was furious! Who has time for this crap! I resisted pulling over and deliberately running over the damn thing with my own car; I would have blamed the aliens of course. My cell phone is my business phone and without it none of the workshop attendees could reach me.

After staying on the phone with me for 30 minutes to ensure my timely arrival at the studio, she took another 15 to try to make me a genius bar appointment. At that point I had to hang up because people started arriving. She then sent me a message on my computer asking me if she can come to the workshop (30 minutes from her) to retrieve my phone and try to fix it. After two lame refusals on my part, she came anyway. She then spent the next three hours on the phone trouble shooting with Apple while I happily taught my workshop- not a care in the world.   All of this, on her day off.

Just as the group broke for lunch, Mala finished with Apple on the phone. So naturally, she found us a fabulous restaurant, took orders from the workshop attendees, gathered the cash, drove to the restaurant, retrieved lunch, came back and joined us in a Mexican pig out. Did I mention this was her day off?

An hour later I wrapped up the workshop and there was my best friend, still there, waiting to help me pack up & clean the studio. This is a friendship of value; not as in money from a Nigerian Banker value but actual value.When someone says they have your back I believe it’s measured by the inconvenience and the effort that they exert to actually have your back. Anyone that knows Mala, knows that she’s a generally happy person, but no one enjoys tech support and running errands and sitting waiting for seven hours on their day off… except a true friend.

Thank you for being my true friend Mala XO