My friend is 21 years younger. I wanted her skin; she wanted my perspective.

The author is friends with someone 21 years younger than her. Courtesy of the author I became close with a woman 21 years younger through an online writing class. At first, her youth made me more self-conscious about my own aging. Our friendship helped me see my age and life experience as something to value. Three years ago, when I met someone 21 years my junior in an online class, I never thought we'd become close. Each week in a writing class, we filled the video call with highly personal…