No, I'm not considering starting a band under this name. Instead, I want to describe my experience of adult friendship and the counterintuitive presence that takes shape when two fully actualized individuals share life-saving camaraderie.
For anyone who doesn't yet know me intimately, you should know that I don't give "good phone." I'm an average listener when I'm trying really hard, and I usually have to keep my hands occupied, or I lose focus. Since I relocated to Northern California, I have longed for the lost connections I spent a decade nurturing while I extended my stay in the greater Los Angeles area after college.
My friend and I both have a ritual of walking early in the morning most weekends, especially during summertime. The benefits are threefold; it's time well spent outside to stay active despite the merciless heat. For her, it's 45 minutes away from her husband, stepchild, and the home office that sometimes feels like four walls closing in on her.
For me, it's a few hours in the sunshine to recoup the preceding 40 hours spent isolated in an office and under the unforgiving fluorescent lights. It's also a sacred time to engage with my thoughts and activate my creativity. And in a silly yet celebratory way, we each snap a selfie on our separate walkabouts and text them to each other. So we can be alone, together.
How do you like to keep in touch?