Rediscovery

Recently, I spent an exciting and thoughtful day with my dear pal Tory. We hadn't seen each other in four or five years, and reconnecting with her felt like rediscovering a hidden treasure.

Tor and I first connected during junior high track practice. I was the new kid at school, but I could already tell that she was someone I wanted to be friends with. Being a shy thirteen-year-old, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her. Passively, I figured that fate would introduce us if our friendship was supposed to be.

And it was. While practicing hurdles one day after school, I completely biffed on the track. The coach told me to go up to the bathroom and wash the gravel out of my legs. I was almost certainly crying, and Tory offered to go with me. I have no idea what we talked about, but we took our sweet time to return to practice. There was lots of laughing. When we finally did go back, I remember walking down the hill together and feeling comfortable, and hopeful that we would become friends.

That was nearly nine years ago. Tor remains one of the most remarkable people I know: she's absolutely irrepressible, and she can make me laugh in absolutely any situation. She seeks out the best aspects of people, and of the world. She has given me countless treasures, of memories, of music, of ideas; and she has taught me much about friendship and perspective. In short, she challenges me to grow as a person, and for her being, I am grateful.

Goodies in the wall at Prospero's Books