Passing By

Twice this past month, I've seen Cherished Friend quite briefly. The first time was in an airport far from this desert land, where our paths fortuitously crossed as I went in one direction and he in another. The second time was yesterday evening through this morning, when his personal activities brought him briefly through my corner of the desert. It was, as always, lovely to see him.

In quotidian days, I am primarily -- even exclusively -- defined by my relationships to certain other people. Ofhusband. Mother of Offspring. Daughter, Daughter-in-law. Sister, sister-in-law. Even at work, many of my colleagues knew me first as wife of Beloved Husband before I became an employee, and that relationship colors how I am perceived in the office. Such is the way it is. My relationships with these others govern to a great extent my activities and how I move through life; and that is as it ought to be, for these people are my Family and I love them.

Friendship is defined differently: in forming a friendship, we are not confined by the social expectations and obligations placed upon family relationships. Friendship is unencumbered, unfettered. It a willing openness of self with another person, defined not by blood or marriage, but by affinity.

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. - Kahlil Gibran

Friendship gives us an opportunity to be ourselves, without preconceived expectations. It adds a new component to our lives -- an element of depth and color to our existence. Life is more full with a friend. And especially with Cherished Friend.

I shall always be grateful for his presence in my life. Even, and perhaps especially, in those brief moments in passing.

A friend is a second self, so that our consciousness of a friend's existence...makes us more fully conscious of our own existence. ― Aristotle