The Secret To Being Best Friends With Your Complete Opposite

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My first thought when I met her was that she was a little too full of herself. Being a former nerd in high school (glasses, braces and all) I found over confident people annoying. At first, I just sat and stared and the hurricane that was her life, thinking I could never be close to a girl who wore a backless dress to class. In some ways, I identify myself as a Jacky, and she must definitely is a Marilyn.

Despite all those initial impressions and against all odds, I now call this girl my best friend. She was the first person I texted when my grandmother died. She has been a crucial support in my battle with an invisible illness. She brought me soup when I was sick as a dog.

Even if our approaches to life still differ, life without her would be like a salad without dressing: tasteless and boring. Can a Marilyn and a Jackie be best friends? The answer is simple: YES THEY CAN, and it’s actually easier than may think.

Because you don’t gravitate around the same things, relationships between opposites are fun and unpredictable. You push yourself out of the comfort zone by doing things that you’ll never dream on doing, and it comes very naturally since you have your best friend by your side.

Fitting in is also not a problem. You embrace the fact that what makes you different is actually what brings you two together, so you stop trying to fit into a certain lifestyle to be accepted. We’re not interested in being mistaken by twin sisters, unless twins get special discount on pizza.

Last but not least, there’s little to no jealousy. I’m all for some healthy competition, but I’ve often found myself in relationships when the success of the other half makes you envious of their life. In this case, I think I wouldn’t last more than a week in her shoes, and I’m more than certain that she has no interest in leading the life I live. We want different things, we compete for different things, and still we enjoy seeing how the other side lives.

Truth is, there’s actually no ideal recipe for friendship in general. Sometimes the best explanation that I can give to people that ask me how on earth can we be best friend is “I don’t know, I guess it was meant to be.”