Note: this is the first of a series of entries I'm working on, about some of my closest friends. I wrote it last night, but didn't have an opportunity to post it, due to the lack of an internet connection. More entries in this vein will be forthcoming.
I lived in Arizona for almost nine months, and in that time, i missed Indiana like crazy. Maybe not the location so much as the great group of friends i had left behind. Whenever i would talk to anyone from back home, they would always express how much they missed me and how they couldn't wait for me to come back home.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was Sheena. We barely spoke at all for the entire duration of my stay in Arizona. Indeed, i saw her at Poker Night a few days before i moved, and that was the first time i had seen her in... Christ, i couldn't even begin to tell you how long. We had really drifted apart over the years and had kinda lost touch with each other.
So you can imagine my surprise (and skepticism) when she expressed genuine interest about my homecoming. We had dinner one night not long after i had returned, and spent a couple of hours catching up and getting reacquainted, before heading back to her place and watching a movie. And even though it had been a long time since we had really hung out and spent any sort of real time with each other, by the time i left that night, it was like nothing had ever changed at all. Things have stayed pretty much the same since that night.
I think, when you can be apart from someone for so long, and then find your way back to each other and realize that things are just like they always were... that's when you know you've got a really special bond with that person, and you know they're worth keeping around and hanging onto.
Hectic schedules for both of us made it difficult to find time to get together during the first part of the year, but i still managed to pop into her bar every now and then to have a drink and chat for a few minutes. With her being finished with school for the summer, we've been hanging out a lot more - going to the movies, thrift-store shopping, having dinner, getting hammered and watching "Aqua Teen" in the middle of the day, that sort of thing. And it's been a blast.
Earlier this evening, i pointed out to her that in the eight years or so that we've been friends, we've never really been at odds with each other. Sure, we've gone long periods of time where we didn't talk, but it was never due to any sort of animosity. As far as either of us were able to recall, there have been no arguments, no disagreements, no fights. Even the best of friends can have some real knockdown, dragout altercations - but i don't recall us ever exchanging a bad word. That, in itself, speaks volumes about the nature of our friendship.
I also find that her personality makes her one of the easiest people in the world for me to talk to - perhaps it's the positive attitude and eternal optimism that we both seem to share. We're always painfully, brutally honest with each other - no pulled punches, no sugar-coating - and she always gives the impression that she's LISTENING, not just waiting for you to finish talking so that she can change the subject to whatever is currently on her mind. Whether it's a late-night trip to Denny's or a couple of drinks after work, i always look forward to our conversations.
In short, i totally love this broad. She's a beautiful, wonderful, amazing person, and one of the best friends i've ever had. I feel completely blessed that we've been a part of each other's lives for so long.
Fuck, this was a sappy entry, wasn't it? Ew.
I lived in Arizona for almost nine months, and in that time, i missed Indiana like crazy. Maybe not the location so much as the great group of friends i had left behind. Whenever i would talk to anyone from back home, they would always express how much they missed me and how they couldn't wait for me to come back home.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was Sheena. We barely spoke at all for the entire duration of my stay in Arizona. Indeed, i saw her at Poker Night a few days before i moved, and that was the first time i had seen her in... Christ, i couldn't even begin to tell you how long. We had really drifted apart over the years and had kinda lost touch with each other.
So you can imagine my surprise (and skepticism) when she expressed genuine interest about my homecoming. We had dinner one night not long after i had returned, and spent a couple of hours catching up and getting reacquainted, before heading back to her place and watching a movie. And even though it had been a long time since we had really hung out and spent any sort of real time with each other, by the time i left that night, it was like nothing had ever changed at all. Things have stayed pretty much the same since that night.
I think, when you can be apart from someone for so long, and then find your way back to each other and realize that things are just like they always were... that's when you know you've got a really special bond with that person, and you know they're worth keeping around and hanging onto.
Hectic schedules for both of us made it difficult to find time to get together during the first part of the year, but i still managed to pop into her bar every now and then to have a drink and chat for a few minutes. With her being finished with school for the summer, we've been hanging out a lot more - going to the movies, thrift-store shopping, having dinner, getting hammered and watching "Aqua Teen" in the middle of the day, that sort of thing. And it's been a blast.
Earlier this evening, i pointed out to her that in the eight years or so that we've been friends, we've never really been at odds with each other. Sure, we've gone long periods of time where we didn't talk, but it was never due to any sort of animosity. As far as either of us were able to recall, there have been no arguments, no disagreements, no fights. Even the best of friends can have some real knockdown, dragout altercations - but i don't recall us ever exchanging a bad word. That, in itself, speaks volumes about the nature of our friendship.
I also find that her personality makes her one of the easiest people in the world for me to talk to - perhaps it's the positive attitude and eternal optimism that we both seem to share. We're always painfully, brutally honest with each other - no pulled punches, no sugar-coating - and she always gives the impression that she's LISTENING, not just waiting for you to finish talking so that she can change the subject to whatever is currently on her mind. Whether it's a late-night trip to Denny's or a couple of drinks after work, i always look forward to our conversations.
In short, i totally love this broad. She's a beautiful, wonderful, amazing person, and one of the best friends i've ever had. I feel completely blessed that we've been a part of each other's lives for so long.
Fuck, this was a sappy entry, wasn't it? Ew.