Make a Friend Day: Celebrating New Connections and Expanding Horizons By Author Lori Jones
The United States has a national day of celebration every day. February 11th is Make a Friend Day. The description is as follows; ‘New friends can broaden our horizons by helping us to see new perspectives, challenging us to try something different, or connecting us to opportunities.’ I can honestly say this is true, especially when you have a ‘The World is my Oyster’ philosophy and a shy personality like I did when I was younger.
In the 1980’s, one month after signing on with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency, I flew to Milan, Italy to gain experience and tearsheets for my portfolio. I was California all the way, wearing corduroy pants, peasant blouses and desert boots. On castings, I noticed other models decked out in bright neon-colored clothes with padded shoulders, parachute pants, and dresses shaped like squares or triangles. I didn’t feel the need to step up my fashion game until I made friends with a model who told me I looked like Marsha Brady in a city where glamorous models like Gia, and Janice Dickinson were seen around town and on Magazine covers. This new friend offered to take me on a shopping spree that quickly triggered my irrational fear of not wanting to stand out in public. “Wear purple pants with rhinestones on the pockets? Are you kidding? A hot pink spandex tube top? I can barely breathe.” We laughed until we cried as I paid for my purchases. Thanks to her encouragement, I came out of my shell that day, ready to shine...literally.
Sometimes making several friends at once can happen like the time I was booked for a bathing suit show in Tunisia with seven other models. After spending three days together rehearsing and then performing on a makeshift stage, with only a few minor disasters like the lead model falling off, I was dragged to dance under a disco ball at the afterparty. The groups’ enthusiasm to have the full experience was so contagious, I eagerly joined them when someone suggested a swim under a sky full of stars in the Mediterranean sea. As I stood on the beach watching shirts and shorts being tossed off while camels moaned in the distance, I debated returning to my hotel room where there was no threat of sharks chewing on my legs. The sound of splashing, laughter, and seven models calling out for me to join them enticed me to take the dip as well. The refreshing water and playful camaraderie soon won out over my fear of what might be swimming under the surface, in dark waters, at midnight. It was at that moment, my spirit of adventure was awakened, thanks to a group of individuals who started out the trip as strangers.
The best part of meeting new people is the possibility of connecting to opportunities, even when the likelihood doesn’t seem obvious. This was the case when my roommate and I decided to take a train to Portofino. Upon our arrival at the dusty station, we discovered there was no bus service that day to complete our journey to the tiny seaside village. Instead of returning to Milan, we decided to hitchhike. An older Fiat with three young men stopped to pick us up. I expressed my concern in a whisper, “We can’t drive off with them. We don’t know anything about them.” My roommate laughed at me, “We’ll be fine. It’s the middle of the day.” After spending a lovely time sightseeing with these entertaining and polite new friends, we discovered that the five-star hotel where we had planned to stay the night was booked solid months in advance. These young men graciously invited us to stay at their house ‘nearby.’ I expressed my concern in a whisper, “We still don’t anything about them.” My roommate laughed at me, “Let’s check it out. If we don’t like it, we’ll go back to Milan.” Imagine our surprise when that beat up car parked along the cliffs overlooking turquoise blue water ‘just around the corner’ from the village. I ended up sleeping in the guest room of a breathtaking three-story mansion, courtesy of the Rothschild family. When I think about that weekend, Don’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover, definitely comes to mind.
Traveling is a great way to meet new people: so is going out for coffee, a walk, or bike ride. The odds may be in your favor if there are shared interests. Who knows, planning a trip to a museum, a concert, or a sporting event could result in finding a lifelong friend.
Lori Jones had a sixteen-year modeling and commercial acting career that began with the Wilhelmina Agency in Los Angeles. Bookings included runway, print for magazines, catalogs, TV commercials, and an album cover for Kool and the Gang's Ladies Night. Lori flew to Milan to work for a few months in the 1980's and ended up living and modeling in Italy, Germany and Spain over the next six years. Her first novel, Growing Up Beautiful, is a fictional account of how three teenage models had to grow up quickly in the European fashion world without cellphones or the internet. Lori has recently completed a 10-episode TV series based on her book.
