Making new friends can be a daunting experience at any age, but, I think we can all agree that it is something that becomes harder as we get older.

After all, if you don’t spend your days at work or school, where exactly do you go to meet new people and develop new friendships?

Well, if you’re Irene Wilkinson, 102, you don’t have to go much further than the comfort of your own nursing home!

A Happy Mistake

When trying to make an outgoing call from her nursing home in Granite City, Illinois, Irene accidentally pressed a “7” instead of an “8”.

Before realizing the error of her dialing, Irene found herself chatting with a woman who answered the accidental call, Rosa in Tennessee.

Now, when most of us dial a wrong number, it typically results in a slightly awkward exchange before quickly hanging up – but not for Irene and Rosa. This wrong number call was a happy mistake, leading to the two women talking and getting to know each other for an hour and a half!

Wilkinson said, “She sounded like a nice lady, so we talked about our lives and children like old people do,” Wilkinson told KTVI.

And the friendship didn’t stop there.

From Phone Connection to Real-Life Connection

In the months following their initial phone conversation, Irene and Rosa became fast friends, talking on the phone each week for hours and hours.

Eventually, Rosa knew that this unexpected friendship was destined for more than just phone calls – she was determined to meet her new BFF (best friend forever) in person!

So, she convinced her daughter to drive up from Florida, pick her up in Tennessee, and make the 10-hour trek to Irene’s nursing home, The Fountains at Granite City.

When Rosa arrived, she was met with outstretched arms and happy tears from Irene. And as the two women enjoyed lunch together, it was clear that their connection was so much more than a phone-based friendship.

Irene and Rosa spend all day together, laughing and having a grand old time, proving that friendships can bloom from the most unlikely situations at any age!

And according to Irene, 102-years and 7 months old, while there is no secret to a long life, connecting with others certainly helps.

Her advice? “Just keep on going. I just like to talk to people.”

What is the most unlikely place or situation where you have made a good friend? What are your thoughts on Irene and Rosa’s unexpected friendship? Would you become friends with a wrong-number caller? Join the conversation below!