Goodman and O'Brien are writing out of their own lives, telling the story of their own friendship, which dates back to September 1973, when they met on their first day as Nieman Fellows at Harvard. The concept of friendship is important in our lives, for men and women both. Friendship is, I am convinced, at the very core of our beings. That's why Jesus told his disciples he was calling them his friends. No longer were they to be servants, not only waiting to be told what to do but also where to go and how to do anything.
Good friends know everything about each other.
Nothing is secret, nothing is sacred, nothing is held back. As Goodman and O'Brien write, they even knew each other's shoe sizes, not to mention what each other looked like in a bathing suit in February. I can call a friend, no matter what mood I'm in, and be accepted for who I am. Not only when I'm in the best of moods, but also when I'm in a nasty mood. Friends accept friends, and friends' moods, unconditionally.