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Two 87-yr-olds who've been friends for 75 years share the keys to sustaining a friendship

They could not be more precious.

Courtesy of Make Big Talk/Instagram

Barbara and Anne have known each other since grammar school.

Friendships often come and go in life as we move to new places, enter different life phases, or grow and change as people. But some friendships last through it all, weaving threads of connection and support throughout the decades. These treasured relationships give us countless shared memories—experiences, joys, and challenges—and sometimes they end up lasting longer than any other relationship a person has.

Take Barbara and Anne, for example. These two 87-year-olds went to grammar school and high school together and have been friends for 75 years. They're now both widowed and live next door to one another, and they shared with Kalina Silverman of Make Big Talk the key to seeing their friendship flourish over the years.

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"We both lost our husbands. and that even brought us even closer together," shared Anne. "Now Barbara lives right next door to me, so we're hooked into each other every day, which is a good thing because in old age? Nice to have friends around you."

When asked what key is to sustaining a friendship, the women cited two things: travel and lots of laughter.

"You know, the true test of a friendship or any relationship is: Can you travel together?" said Anne.

"We laugh at the same things," said Barbara. "For instance that car right there that doesn't have a driver that's going by. I mean, we can never get over that. We just laugh so much, you know? We just do. We get a kick out of each other. We get a kick out of the people we meet, and we have met quite a few people, too, with our walks."

The women said that people will honk their horns and wave at them when they're out walking, and they'll look at each other and ask if the other knew who it was, and they have no idea.

"We can laugh about all of this," said Anne. "And we do," added Barbara.

Barbara and Anne are two of the strangers that Kalina Silverman has spoken to as the creator of Make Big Talk. So often, we engage with people only on a surface level—making small talk—but most of us yearn to engage on a deeper level. Big Talk is a way to do that.

"Big Talk is a communication approach for skipping small talk to make genuine, meaningful connections with those around you – loved ones, colleagues, classmates, teammates, community members, or even total strangers," Silverman writes on her website. "By prompting deep, open-ended questions, Big Talk conversations allow people to share life stories, lessons, and experiences, enriching relationships profoundly."

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The Big Talk journey started with Silverman's desire to connect with people on a deeper level. She started experimenting conversing with strangers, which led to a TED Talk, a Fulbright scholarship, the Big Talk Question Card Game and app, workshops, an Instagram page and now an upcoming book slated to come out in the spring of 2026.

Silverman points out that Big Talk can help combat the epidemic of loneliness that so many people feel. "While technology connects us globally, it often hinders our ability to engage meaningfully in face-to-face conversations. Learning to make Big Talk not only combats feelings of isolation but also boosts communication skills, strengthens relationships, and fosters a greater sense of belonging within our communities at work, home, and school – and in the broader world."

What are some examples of Big Talk questions? Here's a handful:

What is your greatest strength?

How do you show love?

What is your next great adventure?

What idea has intrigued you lately?

What are the most beautiful sights you've seen?

If you had the freedom to do anything right now, what would you do?

Big Talk questions are open-ended (not yes/no) and designed to be answerable by anyone of any age or background. Questions like these often inspire people to share their personal stories and help build more authentic relationships. In a world where people are more technologically connected than ever but where many still feel disconnected and lonely, Big Talk questions might help bring people together in meaningful ways, forming bonds that lead to a greater sense of community.

You can see these questions in action on the Make Big Talk Instagram page and learn more about making conversations more meaningful at makebigtalk.com.

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Health

We asked people what they really enjoy that others can't understand. One answer dominated.

Interestingly, research shows that these people are particularly unlikely to be neurotic.

Canva

Some people really enjoy being alone.

We recently asked our Upworthy audience on Facebook, "What's something that you really enjoy that other people can't seem to understand?" and over 1,700 people weighed in. Some people shared things like housework, cleaning and laundry, which a lot of people see as chores. Others shared different puzzles or forms of art they like doing, and still others shared things like long car rides or grocery shopping.

But one answer dominated the list of responses. It came in various wordings, but by far the most common answer to the question was "silent solitude." Here are a few examples:

"Feeling perfectly content, when I’m all alone."

"Being home. Alone. In silence."

"That I enjoy being alone and my soul is at peace in the silence. I don't need to be around others to feel content, and it takes me days to recharge from being overstimulated after having an eventful day surrounded by others."

"Enjoying your own company. Being alone isn’t isolating oneself. It’s intentional peace and healthy… especially for deep feelers/thinkers."

Spending time by ourselves is something some of us relish, while some of us hate being alone. Naturally, this points to the common theory of introversion vs. extraversion, but in some ways, that's overly simplistic. Even the most peopley people among us can enjoy some quality alone time, and not all introverts see time alone as truly enjoyable. (It might be necessary for an introvert's well-being, but not necessarily something they truly revel in.)

Interesting, studies have found that people who enjoy being alone are not any more or less extraverted than those who don't, though they do tend to be less "sociable." They are also less likely to be neurotic (tense, moody, worrying types) than the generally population and more likely to be open-minded. Those characteristics are the opposite of what social norms often tell us about people who want to be alone.

"If our stereotypes about people who like being alone were true, then we should find that they are neurotic and closed-minded. In fact, just the opposite is true," writes Bella DePaulo, PhD.

There may be lots of reasons some people like to spend time by themselves while others don't. We are naturally social creatures and need social interaction, but some of us find ourselves overstimulated by being around other people all the time. On the flip side, some people find being alone not just unenjoyable, but extremely uncomfortable, which can be a problem.

"Ideally, we should be comfortable with ourselves, alone or with others," writes psychologist Tara Well Ph.D.. "If you are uncomfortable being alone, it means you are uncomfortable being with yourself without distraction, engagement, or affirmation from others. This can be a liability in life. If you cannot be alone, you may stay in situations or make life choices that aren’t good for you in the long run, like staying in a job or a relationship, mainly because you can’t tolerate being alone while transitioning to a better situation."

Dr. Well also points out that people can make the most of their alone time, even if it's not something they naturally enjoy. One way is to make it purposeful, setting aside a little time daily to write in a journal, meditate, go for a walk or otherwise engage your mind and body in some form of reflection. Another is to pay attention to self-judgments that might make alone time uncomfortable and challenge them with some compassionate confrontation and counteraction with positive thoughts about yourself.

Alone time can be refreshing and rewarding, especially if it's something you naturally crave. Some people even like to take themselves out on dates or enjoy traveling by themselves. That kind of self-care can be just as important as connecting with others for our overall health and well-being. Being alone doesn't mean being a loner and it doesn't mean being lonely. Some of us genuinely like having quality time with ourselves, whether it makes sense to other people or not.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Love Stories

Couple ditches the fancy wedding videographer and films on a retro camera instead

No wonder they called this the "best decision."

@davvvisss/TikTok

Inexpensive AND incredibly fun? We're sold.

Virtually every aspect of wedding planning can easily become a huge stress when you’re subjecting yourself to arbitrary obligations. This is why we always love a love story where couples march to the beat of their own drum, and clearly have a great time doing it. This is one of those stories.

Twenty-nine year old bride Davis Bourgeois Pepke recently racked up millions of views after sharing footage from her wedding, which just so happened to be filmed entirely on a home video camera from 2002 offered to them by a friend, rather than shot by a fancy videographer. Pepke tells Upworthy that she and her fiancé that they didn't budget for a videographer, and found the camcorder to be a "great alternative." Plus, they loved the idea of being able to edit it ourselves and have hours of footage to cherish forever."

On the day, they chose a designated person to capture the "big moments," and the rest would be "up for grabs for whoever." They also put disposables on each table with tape that said "USE FLASH" and got an additional 300 photos from their guests POV in addition to professional photos. Pretty genius.

In the video, which Pepke captioned "POV, you don't hire a videographer and instead pass around your home video camera," the video. Best decision,” we see what looks like a rip-roaring good time between her family and friends on the big day, not at all filmed in the very aesthetic, Instagram-worthy way that you’d normally expect from a professional.

Watch:

@davvvisss Best decision passing around a video camera from 2006 at our wedding. I can’t wait to edit all of this footage together. HIGHLY recommend. #weddingtheme #weddingtiktok #weddingvideo #bride ♬ Im In Love Im Obsessed Rihanna x Casa Di Remix - CasaDi

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with opting for dreamy, aspirational vibes, if that’s what you truly want, but clearly there’s a wonderful charm to be had in the DIY approach. Not to mention it’s a fraction of the price…no wonder other birds were fully on board with this idea.

“This is such a creative wedding idea. I’m not hiring a videographer so I want to do this now as a 2025 bride!” one viewer wrote.

“Girl when I found out how much they were charging for an over-edited 10 minute vid I RAN to Amazon for a camcorder and a tripod,” added another.

Pepke shared that she and her partner "laughed and cried all over," looking back at the footage, especially all the hilarious moments on the dance floor.

“The way it was captured feels like an episode of The Office...zooming in on different people's expressions. Having it filmed this way was my favorite decision from our wedding,” she said. She’s not wrong, I was lowkey waiting for Michael Scott to crash the party at any moment.

"It felt like we got to see the behind-the-scenes at the wedding and it equally focused on our guests as much as us...I also noticed it made people feel more comfortable, not having a professional videographer, and they were 'themselves' and felt more willing to talk to the camera,” she added, saying that she hoped other couples would give it a try.

Still, a few others who had attempted this approach shared their own not-so-great experience. As one person shared, “I did this at my wedding and ended up having an hour of drunk conversation from the view of a cocktail table and no major moments captured. 😂 thankfully we had both professional and home video.”

To this point, an actual photographer and videographer chimed in, advising anyone who’d like to follow in Pepke’s footsteps to “make sure your friend group will match the energy of [your] video and that they’re going to be attentive to those moments.” Sage wisdom, indeed.

While having the fairytale, picture-perfect wedding is some people’s dream, there’s something to be said in also capturing what’s authentically and real on the big day as well. These silly, awkward, imperfect moments will take up so much of your life, universe willing, and deserve to be celebrated too.

Oh, and if you plan to go this route, Pepke advises to get a mic to capture audio, as well as a designated person to oversee the process and help guests and whatnot. She was even kind enough to share a link to the actual camera she used, which can be found here.

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Family

Busy mom overcome with emotion when elderly man says the perfect thing to her

He chose positivity and it made all the difference.

via Canva/Photos

A happy mother and her smiling child.

Parents of newborns know they are in the middle of a joyous and stressful era. But far too often, the people they run into choose to frame things negatively when talking to them about their young child. They’ll say things like, “Don’t worry, it gets better” or “Boy, do you have your hands full.”

That’s why Steph Morrison's video on TikTok touched so many hearts. It’s about the fantastic things that can happen when people choose to see things in a positive light instead of a negative one.

“The sweetest thing just happened,” Morrison begins in her video. “I was just finishing my walk and we were just pulling down our street and this old man, he stopped so we could walk by because we’ve got the double-wide stroller that takes up the whole space, and he goes ‘Wow! You’re going to have a lot of fun.’"

The comment blindsided Morrison because it reframed how she looks at being a parent.

@_stephmorrison_
I never would have guessed what the man would say nor did I ever predict tears would roll down my face like they did. Thankful for this sweet glimmer from God 🫶🏼✨ #momspiration #momsoftiktok #momsover30 #quotesforyou #momquotes #postpartumjourney #postpartumlife #happywords #happinessbegins #creatorsearchinsights

“I don’t know why I’m getting emotional telling you now. But most people say, ‘You’ve got your hands full’ and it’s my biggest pet peeve, but he was so sweet and I could, like, see the memories flash through his eyeballs as he said that to me: ‘You’re going to have a lot of fun.’”

“Like, dang! That’s the type of vibe and energy I’m going to bring to motherhood,” she continued. “I was having a really great time with the kids already, so I don’t know why I’m crying while telling you this. But if you’re a mother out there, I hope you’re having a lot of fun, too, because why not?”

Everyone knows that parenting can be hard. But it’s also filled with joy, laughter, hope, possibilities and new experiences. The elderly man’s comments were a great reminder to Morrison and her followers to focus on the joy and possibilities of being a parent instead of the challenges and hard work.

The video struck a chord with mothers in the comments who shared similar experiences.

“An older man in the grocery store stopped me when my son was 8 months old and said, ‘Young enough to still talk to the angels, put in a good word for me!’” Rachel wrote. “My only son is 7 months old. I can’t have any more kids due to life-threatening complications at birth. The other day, a man said to me, ‘He gets to have you all to himself. Isn’t that so special?’” Happy_Gilmoree added.

CaitlinPrice25 hit the nail on the head. “Society makes us feel like kids are a burden,” she wrote. “Just a little change of perspective can make all the difference.”

A positive mindset can make life much easier for parents, but it’s also great for their children. Children look to their parents and model their behavior; those with a positive attitude are likely to raise happy, optimistic children. “A mother’s ability to model positivity becomes a powerful tool in shaping a child’s character, fostering qualities such as kindness, compassion, and a positive outlook on life,” The Motherhood Center in Houston, Texas, writes.

The story also reminds everyone, whether they are parents or not, of the importance of leading with positivity when dealing with others. The man could have said something cliché such as “I hope you’re getting enough sleep,” but instead, he reminded Morrison of the joy of parenting, and she made his remark her north star. That’s the power of positivity.

This article originally appeared last year.

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