Me and Gerard in the 70s, and then again in 2017.
Like Gerard, more than 300 have accepted the invitation to Just be Cool on our Facebook page. Gerard, whose family is Irish, is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I’ve known him since I was a toddler.
The only friend I’ve known longer than Gerard is Julian, my soul brother. His parents are from Turkey, and our mothers became good friends when we were both in preschool.
To help each other out, our mums would take turns picking us up from preschool and babysitting until the other got off from work.
My family moved away when my dad took a job in Jamaica. We moved back a few years later. When I walked into my new class, Julian was so excited to see me that he jumped up and called out my name to offer me the seat next to his. We were 5.
Growing up, we spent so much time at each other’s homes that we might as well have been brothers. He has one (blood) brother and I have two, and all five of us attended the same primary and secondary schools together.
Since my family moved away permanently in 1983, Julian and I have stayed in touch mostly via phone and email. In 2015, we reunited after not seeing each other for more than 20 years.
My mother shares a toast with Julian’s mother, who has been her friend for more than 50 years. She’s my Aunt Sennur.
Recently, I learned that our mothers met one day when he was being wheeled home in a stroller (pram), and my mother stopped them because she noticed something wrong with one of the wheels. They fixed it and Julian’s mother invited mine over for tea.
That was 50 years ago, and our families have been close ever since.
Lifelong friendships formed because of a simple act of kindness. It is an important lesson for all of us.
Good things happen when you’re kind.
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