Old stories are like old friends? You have to visit them from time to time. George R.R. Martin

Last week I had a friend visit from the UK. We met when we were 12 in the pool of a hotel in Malaysia and stayed friends. She moved to London 27 years ago and we've kept in touch and caught up every few years when she visits. A world has changed for us both, but the ease of the friendship has stayed the same.

On the weekend I went to Brisbane to see my oldest friend. We were in preschool together and lived one street apart. We've known each other our whole lives. We're quite different on a lot of things, but quite similar on others. When we travel together, her relaxed nature tolerates my wound up sensibilities. It's an easy relationship.

What I noticed with both these friendships is how quickly the difficult truths come out, and how supportive the reaction is. There is no judgement, and there is never any fear of how it will be received. One of the friends even noted it, saying "I hate telling people that because sometimes they start telling you how to parent". My nature is a 'fix-it' personality but I'm working on zipping it, because sometimes, no matter how helpful you're trying to be, telling people how to do things is the last thing they want to hear. Especially if you have no idea what it's like.

With my friend in Brisbane, we had 11 hours together. The first 2-3 hours, we caught up our recent histories, covered political affairs, work, kids and family health. By the time we hit the bars, we were people watching and had clicked into the groove that we often find when travelling together. Then we just had fun. Not catching up as such but sharing a fun experience, like friends who have the luxury of seeing each other all the time. It's a real joy to have those genuine moments, as they're what's often stolen from the long distance friendships - the moments when you're just kicking back and having fun.

Old friends never cease to make you smile.

Linking with #MLSTL