My childhood best friend and I have very different adult lives. We stay connected with one annual tradition.

My childhood best friend and I stay connected through travel. Anna Staropoli My childhood best friend and I don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. So, once a year, we go on a trip together to reconnect. Traveling to new places together has sustained us with endless opportunities for common ground. At Greenhorn Ranch in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, my best friend of 15-plus years resembled a stranger. Armed with a disproportionately large rifle, Ellie took aim and nailed three clay pigeons in perfect succession — her first time ever wielding a gun. As our skeet shooting instructor clapped, I stared at Ellie incredulously. "Who are you?" I joked. "And where did that skill come from?" Although Ellie and I grew up together in rural New Jersey , new places continue to reveal new facets of ourselves.