“There it was, there it is, the place where during the best time of our lives friendship had its home and happiness its headquarters.” —Wallace Stegner
Rachel asked for 8 minutes and I aim to give them to her. (I’d give her 8,000 if she wanted more.) Granted, I’m not very punctual, am I? Therein lies the good news—Rachel knows I’m behind, overwhelmed, understaffed (she’d find a euphemism that sounds softer to make me feel better), and she understands perfectly. Four phenomenal words: And she understands perfectly. Not sure how or why, but that’s the magic of it. Everyday my heart ticks on, and every day I’m more awed by her brand of empathy. It’s as lovely as it is scarce. And I’m so thankful to have found her.
In Crossing to Safety, Stegner reminds us that “Friendship is a relationship that has no formal shape, there are no rules or obligations or bonds as in marriage or the family, it is held together by neither law nor property nor blood, there is no glue in it but mutual liking. It is therefore rare.” That’s so true. Makes me wonder if Wallace secretly met Rachel. He’d like her—that’s for sure. But not nearly as much as I do. I’ve thought about this (not about Wallace Stegner liking Rachel, that just came to me now)—about why our friendship feels as natural as breathing or blinking or hearts beating. About why it seems effortless, although we both make time and drop everything in a fast second for one another. Honestly, I like to give Rachel all the credit; you would too if you knew her. But maybe Wallace is onto something. Maybe it’s just because of mutual liking. Plain and simple…and incredibly rare.