We all have them. We all love/hate them. We love them if we a part of them, we hate them if we’re not.

You know how it goes. You’re with an old friend, and the memories start flying and the jokes start coming. You can actually see the annoyed faces of the “outsiders” who weren’t there. Rolling their eyes as you lay on the floor with laughter. “You HAD to be there,” barely escaping your lips as you hiccup in hysterics.

Why do we love these little inside jokes so much? Because we are human, and we want to feel special, and when we have something like this with someone, or a group of people, we feel accepted, important, and like we fit in.

Inside jokes usually stem from some of the best times/events of our lives, as well. I know I can call my girl Vicky and say “I’m sad because I’m flying,” and she will burst out into laughter. No one else would understand. And that’s just fine by us. If you know what this sentence means, please comment. I would love to know how many of you know what that’s from…

If I’m with my best friends and we’ve all just grabbed a drink and I look around making sure no one takes a sip, they all know why. We’ve been doing a certain toast for the past 12 years, and it’s bad luck if we don’t say it before that first drink. And after the toast, we even say the people’s names that aren’t there, paying homage to all our gals, near and far. If you know me, you know this toast. And you know that Bon Jovi is part of the context. Rock on. (This toast gets more eye rolls than anything.)

Inside jokes never die. They can take you out of an awkward situation, like seeing someone from high school you haven’t seen in years, and you can’t think of much to say. Just start off “remember when…” and you’ll be laughing in no time.

Memories and bonding are two amazingly important elements for most people. We all want to have a bank in our heads, to which we can withdraw or deposit memories. And we want access to them anytime. We also want to be able to relive them, and share them with the people who mean the most.

And bonding, well how good does it feel when you meet a new person and you instantly click? There’s really nothing better. Except the best feeling in the world, which is being in good company. Being with the people you’ve known for what seems like a lifetime, the ones that have your back, love you for you, would do anything for you, support you…and they are the ones to which the inside joke bank is overflowing.

Inside jokes make life a little easier. They take us back. They connect us. They make us smile. So call or text someone today with something only they would understand. It will brighten their day, and you’ll remember how lucky you are to have such awesome people with which to share this journey of life.