When life gives you lemons, you can always count on your girlfriends to help you make lemonade. (Or maybe a lemontini depending upon your day. And the friend.)

A week ago some girlfriends and I set out to celebrate new starts and life journeys. It got me thinking about how important (and necessary) my friends are to me. Of course rich, rewarding friendships are important to many a woman. And they’re healthy for us too. In fact, a study at Harvard found that social ties help maintain brain function in old age.

Personally, I think those friendships keep our brains healthy because our girlfriends are the people who keep us sane when men or children drive us crazy. Dear friend Dana, from Ballwin MO, thinks I might be on to something.

“I would be a basketcase without friends,” she writes. “My friends are so important to me because I can count on them for anything from the stupidest thing to the scariest thing.  They always try to help me escape the horrors of the problems and make things better. Friends can be like a mini vacation away from all the crazy things going on.”

Getting together with good friends is good for the body as well - a University of Michigan study has identified that feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, which helps to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress. 

Michelle S of Aviston, IL and I were talking recently about the benefits of long term friendships. (We’ve been friends since freshman year of high school. She’s known a few of the girls within our group even longer than I have.) She was quickly able to list a number of benefits that mean the most to her.

“My friends remember things I may have forgotten. To get together and reminisce, reminds me of one of the great times in my life. It doesn’t matter what kind of clothes I wear or what kind of car I drive, they like me anyway. Since I don’t have a sister, my girlfriends are my ‘sisters’,” she says.

Melissa H. from Beckemeyer, IL thinks friendship, especially long-running ones, can help us tap into the women we used to be.

“Over time we morph into “chelsea’s mom or Bill’s wife” and we lose who we are a little.  We have to wear so many hats these days.  Being with friends reminds us of when we were the most important people in our world. We were permitted to be a little self centered.  Which we aren’t permitted to do as mom’s and wives.  There is always someone else’s needs that we put in front of our own.  It’s nice to be that carefree spirit that we were when the relationships were established.”

Melissa looks to her girlfriends for inspiration on parenting, marriage and life lessons.

“I think it definitely helps having input from your friends,” she says.  

Michelle does as well. And often, when grappling with a relationship, career or parenting issue, it helps women to realize no one’s life is perfect.

“My girlfriends make me realize, I’m not alone in the challenges of life, they go through the same things and they come out ok, so I know I can too,” she notes. “Their kids do the same stupid things mine do… I guess they really are normal.”

 Rebecca J. of St. Charles, MO agrees, chiming in, “When you get together with friends (and I don’t do enough of this), you share issues related to your significant other, children, work or whatever.  It usually turns out that a friend is dealing with something similar, and that makes you feel better.  There’s also usually laughing involved, and when isn’t that helpful?”

There have been many a times my girlfriends and I have talked about how we plan to grow old together. Maybe even hang out Golden Girls style.

Apparently we aren’t the first to think along those lines. A new trend has emerged among aging Baby Boomer gal pals—moving in, as spouses pass away (or never materialize) or divorce occurs or with an eye towards growing old together. It makes sense financially and emotionally. As we age, our social networks become smaller. Yet we still crave a feeling of connection and enjoy conversation.

In other words, children grow up and move away. Romantic relationships come and go. But nuture those female friendships now. You’ll always be glad you did.

And for those hopping to celebrate their friendships with a Girls’ Night Out? Girls Guide to the Galaxy has some great ideas! 

Photo from Fitnessguideservice.com