The Triangle of Doom

I could start this piece by saying, “Get yourselves some friends you can keep for 20+ years,” and that would be fitting. But I’d actually like to say, “Get yourselves some friends you can keep for 20+ years who whenever assembled, will always place their arms in a shared, three-sided shape they like to call the Triangle of Doom.”

We ourselves are the Triangle of Doom, mind you. At least that’s what the three of us have been calling each other since we were younglings. The three of us met at age 13 when we sat together in our junior high science class to learn about about single-celled organisms, dissections, rocks, and odd, pointy substances.

Our relationships became very close during our four years of high school theatre. We had slumber parties, inside jokes, and adventures on “both sides of the river,” meaning that we traveled back and forth across the Ohio River from our Southern Indiana home to Louisville, Kentucky.

Of course, over the years, we haven’t only assembled our arms into triangles. We live in three different states, and from there, we’ve had a group text going for a long while. We talk about things that matter — relationships, families, children, jobs, politics, and what we hope for out of life. We support each other, and if any of us fell apart, we’d lend a listening ear. Heck, we’d even drive across the country to find each other.

So get yourselves some friends you can have for 20+ years who give you belly laughs so hard it hurts and who will be there, always, whenever needed.