(Such Good) People that You Meet
Last weekend, I stumbled upon a binder buried in a cabinet in my home office. The idea for the binder came from my dear dad, who many years ago suggested that I put one together to include all of my published articles to date. Always an obedient daughter, even well into adulthood, I did just that. Although this idea seems quite antiquated into today’s digital world, I am so glad I listened to him.
In the binder, I re-discovered an article I wrote for The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in 2009 back when I was a freelance reporter for the paper. This was back when people read newspapers in print, when my kids were little and their pre-school teachers sometimes greeted me at school drop off with one of my articles clipped out from the paper.
This particular article was about a young mother (like me at the time!) who was planning a fundraiser to support longtime cancer survivorship at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I was assigned to call the young mother/fundraiser who was also a survivor of a childhood cancer, Hodgkin’s Disease, and interview her for the piece.
Enter Amy Blumenfeld. I called Amy one afternoon from my landline direct to hers. I took copious notes in my spiral notebook, cradling the phone between my ear and neck, asking my pre-planned questions about her childhood cancer, about her fundraising efforts and generally, about her life. I felt an immediate connection to Amy. Apparently she felt one to me.
When the formal part of the interview was over, Amy and I talked for longer than the interview itself. We discovered that we were the same age, and we had daughters just a couple weeks apart. We had a whole bunch of friends in common, and we were both writers with stories we wanted to tell.
That part you could say was our meet cute. Amy and I stayed in touch over the course of the next few years, checking in mostly via email often forwarding articles and essays we were each working on. This was before Google Docs. I printed out Amy’s work and made comments with an actual pen. Amy sent me early versions of what would be her first novel, THE CAST. I sent her drafts of my essay collection, LIFE’S ACCESSORIES. These manuscripts turned books came out less than a year apart in 2018 and 2019 from the same publisher.
Amy and I went on a book tour of sorts together. Our stories complimented each other, and so did our personalities. Amy is quiet. I am chatty. I am tall. She is less so. Amy takes her time with her writing. I write quickly, then go back to edit. And/but we have so much fun together, whether we are on a book tour, reading each other’s work, discussing strategies for caring for aging parents or strategies for online shopping for our daughters’ college dorm rooms. Amy calls me her work spouse. I say she is my work wife — the Shirley to my Laverne. Amy introduced me to my awesome podcast co-host and amazing anthology publisher. She also repeatedly gives me the confidence I need to take on the next project or to say no to it.
The timing of the binder discovery is fitting as just this week, Amy’s second novel, SUCH GOOD PEOPLE, was released. Amy emailed me the manuscript last year, and I devoured it, on Google Docs no less, no pen needed. I am so proud of Amy and the work she does. I am also proud of our friendship/work partnership/and whatever else has come out of a random newspaper assignment. BTW, shout out to my long ago newspaper editor for giving this piece to me.
All this to say to be on the lookout for those random assignments, potential meet cutes and all of the such good people that may be out there waiting to be a part of your life.
Also, be sure to check out SUCH GOOD PEOPLE (out this week!!!) written by such a good person.
And check out Amy and me (Shirley and Laverne!) at our next event July 28th at 7pm in Manhasset, New York. We will be discussing our essays in the anthology ON BEING JEWISH NOW.
A beautiful account of female friendship. What would we do without our women friends? 💁🏼♀️💛
Lovely story and good lesson as always ❤️