This post was inspired by Netflix. Come see what we’re watching.

If you had to pick one friend with whom to get stuck on a deserted island, who would you pick? I would be hard-pressed to choose between my very sensible, resourceful, crafty friend and the friend I have who would slap me in the face and tell me to stop freaking out, instruct me to enjoy the sunshine, and help me figure out how to make alcohol out of coconuts.

I am fortunate to have a diverse group of friends on whom I can count. They each speak to the different parts of my personality – though, I’ll be honest, I’ve yet to find one who will hang with me at my gym or meet me on the running trail. That’s okay, though, because I don’t usually have enough air to breathe, let alone talk.

I have family-friends, work-friends, church-friends, online-friends and drinking-friends. I even have dog-friends; not people with dogs, but actual dogs. My two Labs listen to me more than anyone else. Sometimes, I get them drunk and I have drinking-dog-friends. Then we play poker.

Honestly, I couldn’t choose just one person to join me on that island; I’d want to bring them all. One thing’s for sure, it would be one heck of a good time. Unless we had to eat each other. That would kind of stink.

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I’m feeling thankful for my friends lately. Maybe it’s because it’s Thanksgiving week, maybe it’s because I’ve really needed them lately, or maybe it’s because Netflix is bringing us all 10 seasons of “Friends” starting January 1st!

Remember the Thanksgiving episodes of “Friends”? Who didn’t want a group with whom you could play football in Central Park? Who didn’t want a Monica preparing dinner? Who didn’t want Brad Pitt at the table?

If I invited my closest friends to Thanksgiving dinner, it would be a crew that looked a lot like those six, crazy kids. Though we’re in our 40s, not our 20s, and none of my male friends look like Brad Pitt. But, we would laugh a lot. You can be sure of that. My friends have to make me laugh.

My husband would probably want someone with whom he could talk sports and my kids would both want friends who stimulated their minds. My 12-year old son would pick the Kratt Brothers and my daughter would choose Sherlock and John Watson, even though they’re British and probably hold a grudge about the whole Mayflower thing.

Any of us would probably want to hang out with Jennifer Lawrence – you can catch her on Netflix right now as Katniss Everdeen in “Catching Fire”, where she plays a friend who would give her life for you and in “Silver Linings Playbook”. I just watched that again. I think it’s one of my favorite movies, ever. Everyone needs a friend who will put up with our manic side. Just sayin’.

So, our Thanksgiving table would include a girl who’s great with a bow and arrow, two guys who are fantastic with zoo animals, six NYC 20-somethings, and a couple of British guys.

I call the wishbone!

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Do you ever think about the things that make you truly happy? If you don’t, you should. When you’re searching for peace, you think of them a lot. Trust me, I know.

I’ll give Maria raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but she loses me at bright copper kettles. I mean, you’d REALLY have to love tea. I like tea, but I don’t care how the water gets boiled. Plus, I think you have to polish copper and I hate chores.

So, what does make me happy – or, rather, peaceful? In no particular order:

1. Sunshine.

2. My husband touching my face or hair. The touch of a cheek or gently holding the nape of a neck is intimate and lovely.

3. A clear, starry sky. For making wishes.

4. Intense, exhausting workouts. I don’t look happy while I’m doing them and I complain A LOT, but pulling a rope with a 400 lb. tire attached to the other end makes me feel strong, powerful and confident even though my face is purple and I’m dripping with sweat.

5. Watching my kids try anything. A new food, a new experience, a new activity; seeing them attempt something makes them achievers in my eyes, even if they fail.

6. Cold beer. Duh.

7. The beach. Sand between my toes, the sound of the waves, and saltwater making my hair look pretty without any effort – I’ll take that ALL DAY LONG. Combined with #1, #5 and #6? Heaven.

8. A clean house. I never get this one. Never.

9. A good movie. Throw in Milk Duds and it’s even better.

10. Puppies, good friends, flowers, board games, slow-dancing, campfires, music, and snuggling. Not all at once, but I didn’t want this list to get too long.

While things have seemed kind of bleak lately, I’m finding it helpful to come back to this list to seek out, and give myself, the things I can. Thankfully, that hasn’t resulted in too many Milk Duds, but don’t even come near me without expecting a snuggle.

What would your list look like? What are your favorite things?

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Shortly after my husband and I got our first computer, I would sit in our den surrounded by its dark-paneled walls and single, overhead light, typing away at my keyboard. Inside my monitor, on the other side of clicking keys, a friendship was ignited thanks to the World Wide Web.

Though I had known her for a few years, I didn’t really become close to my friend Bean until she and I began emailing each other every day. EVERY. DAY. My screen, that room – the whole afternoon – could be brightened by my inbox. She’s the one who, upon seeing my user name “momofali” asked, “Who’s Momo Fali?” and, therefore, the reason the Internet calls me Momo.

She’s also the reason I write. Had it not been for those emails, for me telling stories, and for her saying that I could tell them well, I don’t think I would have ever started blogging. She laughed at my jokes, she cried with me when I was in pain and I shared so much of my life with her. She was my first blog reader – before I even had a blog.

She has always been my cheerleader as she is for everyone she loves. Even while her playing field has dealt her blows again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Injuries that would end anyone else’s career don’t stop her from crawling to the sideline and picking up her pom-poms for the rest of us.

Thank you, Bean, for backing me up when all I wanted to do was write. Thank you for, unwittingly, changing my life.

I’m shaking my pom-poms in your direction.

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