Who Are the Unexpected Friends in Your Life?

When my husband, baby, and I first pulled into the driveway of our new house in our new neighborhood, we knew exactly two people…

A neighbor who went to our church. Also, my real estate agent. What else? Zip.

For the first few months, I wasn’t too worried about not having close friends nearby. My mother-in-law came twice a week to spend time with my daughter Ella. She will tell me all about her family these days. Chizume. She also gave me a chance to talk about the ups and downs of being a new mom. As she pulled the Jeep out of the driveway and rolled down the dusty road, my heart and social tank felt full.

But as time went on, I found myself wishing I had known someone else nearby. People were chatting while drinking coffee. Or you can come visit us in our garden. Or it was free (and games) to stop by on the way back from the park.

I never expected to form such a friendship with my neighbor Jesse, who is in his 70s.

Jesse is over six feet tall, with kind eyes and wrinkles, and wears a uniform of a gray tank top, old jeans, and work boots. He lives five houses down and is almost always working on something in the driveway. Our friendship began four years ago when Ella and I were out for a walk. As we approached his house, we found him fixing his lawnmower. We gave him a friendly wave and immediately said “hello!” — I repeated this every time I passed by for the next few weeks. Then one day, when he saw us walking toward him, he immediately ducked into the garage and returned with a box of fresh strawberries. “I thought the baby might like it too,” he said.

All it took was a box of strawberries for this kind man to transform from a neighbor to a friend the whole family cherished. These days, Ella and Emiliano scream “JESSEEEE!!!” As soon as his house came into view. They run up for hugs and unapologetically ask for Ritz crackers. He bought it in bulk at Costco especially for them.

Over the years, Jesse and his wife Beverly have shown up for us many times in very generous ways. They’d surprise us with homemade strawberry tarts or give the kids a restored red Radio Flyer wagon. They invited us into their home and told us stories about growing up in San Diego in the ’60s and visiting family in Mexico. They have watched our family grow from one sleepy baby to three busy children. And I treat them like my own grandchildren. And when our weekly walk is interrupted by a cold or busy schedule, Jesse always calls to check on us.

One Christmas, Jesse surprised the children with a homemade sleigh.

Now, she has made friends with the mothers at the park, the parents at Ella’s kindergarten, and friends of friends she met at the social gathering. Of course, I am grateful for this kind of relationship. But being friends with Jesse is a reminder that some of life’s warmest and most lasting friendships are the ones forged with people we least expect.

Now, we’d love to know: What unexpected but important friendship did you form? Share with us in the comments!

PS Funny conversation starters for all ages and how to make friends as an adult.

(Photo by Ryan Tuttle/Stocksy)