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The Good Stuff by Shelley Bennett

By Shelley Bennett

Never again do you find friends like the ones you have when you’re fifteen years old.” -Fredrik Backman

I was reading a book on Saturday night when I came across this quote. It immediately reminded me of two of my very best friends: Becky and Rachelle. It took me back to a time when we shared lockers in the 300 building and declared our loyalty to each other on the doors with smelly markers. (Sorry Danny!)

When we walked across the street to Susanville Supermarket for lunch and enjoyed fresh pizza bread sliced to order in the bakery. It reminded me of the notes we wrote to each other on an hourly basis so as to not forget our loyalty while separated during class.

Cheerleading practice after school, talking about boys, sharing clothes, and then the hours of talking to each other on the phone while we did homework and made plans for the weekend. Along with Angela and Nikki, we were inseparable.

When you are fifteen, you think that the people in your life will be there forever, and if you are lucky, they will be.

After graduation we went on our own ways, but 21st birthdays, bachelorette parties, and wedding showers brought us back together. We found other things in common, like college life, being newlyweds, and then welcoming some beautiful children into this world.

We were lucky at some point in our lives to welcome another friend, Dawn, into our clan. She challenged our party planning skills (Dawn is the Queen) and we hit our stride with raising kids, celebrating the little things, and leaning on each other when we need to.

Through the years, we have faced deaths in our families, divorce, illness, and other strife, but our friendship has survived and grown stronger. We always laugh that we will eventually wind up in the convalescent hospital together, listening to Def Leppard and smoking clove cigarettes.

I am fortunate to have many precious friends in different areas of my life. I have an abundance of work friends who save me on a daily basis, my long-distance BFF Kris, my circle, dance (and baseball) mom friends, former students who have become friends, a few Sassy Gay Best Friends, MLC friends, and many more.

The Pandemic has made me more aware of the importance of friends. Zoom calls and drive-bys can’t compete with coffee and laughing.

My daughter Sofia is now fifteen. I watch her group of friends while they eat lunch in my classroom. They don’t have lockers or write notes, but have bonded through group chats and making Tik Tok videos. They are young, opinionated and smart. I am glad these are her friends at fifteen.


Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”

Jeremy Couso
Jeremy Couso
SusanvilleStuff.com Publisher/Editor
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