I spent the last 24 hours in the city of Manhattan with two longtime friends. I’ve seen one of them sporadically through the decades, and the other one I haven’t seen in decades. But, no matter.

There are qualities of real girlfriends, too subtle for me to comprehend nevermind enumerate, that can make you feel cradled in safety. Not perfect, I never said perfect – I am working hard to give myself distance from this elusory word.

We started in Greenwich Village – my old stomping grounds – both while I attended NYU, and after where I lived alone, then with my boyfriend who turned into my husband, where I had my first two children, where I worked, shopped, and walked to Washington Square Park with a double stroller and a golden retriever. How I loved those days.

We were west of that. Seated at an open-doored cafe for lunch, we later took a cab to the Freedom Tower and 9/11 Memorial, walked through quaint city streets that refused to be subdued or shut down by hate, revenge or fury.

Then dinner and Gloria Estefan’s new play. This was Beth’s idea, and what an idea it was. The play had some kinks (it is still in previews) but blew me away – the talent, the challenges, the accident that could have killed her, and the subtext of an encompassing love story with Emilio.

We stayed at Daphna’s apartment, which made the day homey and comfortable and I got to reconnect with a woman I have much in common with. So ladies, take care of your girlfriends. It gets harder to make them and keep them as we age. Distance, disagreements and life circumstances can pull them from you. And some you must let go of to save your sanity – but the good ones – treat them with love and kindness – because you never know when you will need one another.