M: Do you sometimes think back about how your friendships started? This is a little story about us because it is now 15 years ago that we met. Joyce and I have been colleagues in the beginning as we worked as secretaries at a large tax consultancy firm. I was at home for a month due to pneumonia
that I picked from a three day snow trip during which I never sobered up and Joyce had her first working day at the firm during that period. We heard about each other and in a strange way we knew we would be friends without haven spoken or seen each other. And so it was. I do not recall
our first working day together but our friendship started.
J: But I do recall that very first day. First you have to know that Mo was known at the office as a quite fearful but elegant lady working for an unpredictable but established partner in the firm. I met her during lunch, and she was wearing a leopard printed jacket which was not really my style, but even with the unlikeable jacket she was a presence I immediately was drawn to. Which is hard, as people wearing cloths I don’t like become naturally in my redzone.
During the years we had so much fun together, we share the same humor and find it still unbelievable that others don’t. Probably also the reason why we don’t have any real friends, just joking.
M: We always had a drive to do something creative next to our 9 to 5 jobs. We did our beading workshops and drove with our beads in big baskets to the ladies explaining them how they could make a necklace or bracelet without hurting themselves.
J: I even remember a beading party where we simply didn’t turn up in time because we couldn’t fiind the house, but did find McDonalds instead. I also believe that it was the turning point for us to stop our help for non creative women or men.
M: This project ended as Joyce did not have enough time to combine the beads with the kids, bless her as we were kind of fed up with it! For a couple of years we did not engage ourselves in any creative business but four years ago we had enough energy, time and good spirits to start up Liefgoed. This feeds us in every sense and satisfies our needs to be creative. We are the best couple without sex. We do not always see eye-to-eye but always understand where we are coming from and keep each other sharp and most important we are always honest. We treasure our friendship. Joyce once said, a real friend is someone you would find shelter if there was a war. We both know where to go when hell breaks loose! Up to the next 15 years!
J: hear hear!
