I quit Wall Street at 34 to live out of my car. My best friend thought I'd lost my mind.

The author left her career and went camping.

Courtesy of the author Our friendship developed during years when our lives looked very similar.

When I took a divergent path, and she didn't understand, I thought I would lose her.

The challenge of our differences brought us to a place of more honesty, deepening our connection.

When I told my best friend I was quitting my Wall Street legal career to spend a year camping and exploring the American West, she looked at me aghast and said, "You're joking, right?" Her response wasn't surprising.

I hadn't exactly been honest with her, or myself, about how much I longed for a very different life than the one I was living.

At the time, we were 34 years old, and during the prior 16 years of friendship, our lives had run parallel tracks, studying business in college , then pursuing demanding careers in East Coast cities.

While we'd seen each other through heartbreaks and upheavals, this was more than that.

This was a significant detour, and as she looked at me, her face flush with confusion, I wasn't sure the detour was something our friendship would survive.

For years, our lives aligned Erin and I met freshman year in college as scholarship runners on a highly competitive Division I Track Team.

While our four years there weren't exactly conducive to honesty or vulnerability, it bonded us in a deep way.

After graduation, we shifted our attention and drive toward corporate careers , supporting each other in these often-stressful pursuits.

With our finances closely aligned, we traveled, dined, and indulged at the spa together.

More than that, during those years, Erin became my anchor.