In my 20s, a friend of mine had friendships with a few older women that I envied. They weren't mentors to her, but genuine friends, which meant when she shared her vulnerabilities, they also shared theirs. I could tell how much she gleaned from their sage advice and perspectives. There was a confidence that came from their proven life experience, and I wanted to learn from that, too. But I had no idea how to make older friends.

A few years later, when I was 27, I joined a writer's critique group and unexpectedly gained the valuable relationships I had been hoping for with people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Perhaps the best part of having older friends who write memoirs and essays is that I am privy to their stories and their perspectives on life's hardships, and I hear what they think about my work and experiences, as well.

They’ve taught me that confidence comes with age, we often trade one hardship for another (so best to stay positive), and there’s a part of us that never ages.

—Excerpt from an essay I wrote that originally appeared on Business Insider,